The Baltimore Ravens game against the Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t for the faint of heart. It felt like a heart attack waiting to happen with flashbacks of the no-go offense we endured before quarterback Joe Flacco came on board.
The game was painful to watch, but a 9-6 ugly win is still a win. Road wins are always more challenging, add in the noise factor at Arrowhead Stadium and playing a team desperate for a second win this season, made the Ravens’ victory that much sweeter.
The win can be credited to one thing and one thing only: turnovers.
“The turnovers were everything,” linebacker Ray Lewis said. “I tip my hat off to our defense to just come in here and get as many turnovers as we did and just come in here and make the stops every time.”
The Ravens’ offense could not move the ball down the field. Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco went 13 for 27 for 187 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. Running back Ray Rice had 17 carries for 101 rushing yards.
The offense was terrible, Flacco struggled getting the ball to his receivers and his receivers couldn’t hold on to the ball, they were lucky it wasn’t recovered by the Chiefs.
When the Ravens’ offense couldn’t get job done, the defense stepped up their game. Chiefs’ quarterback Matt Cassel was picked off twice. Ravens’ cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams made interceptions and safety Ed Reed and linebacker Courtney Upshaw made fumble recoveries.
The game changing turnover occurred in the third quarter; the game was tied 3-3. The Chiefs were on the Ravens one yard line when Cassel botched the snap and the loose ball was snatched up by Reed to prevent the touchdown.
“It was just right there and the gap was open,” Reed said. “I’m sure if he doesn’t fumble that, then it’s a touchdown, different ballgame.”
The Ravens’ defense held the Chiefs to 338 total yards, most occurred in the first half by Chiefs’ running back Jamaal Charles who had 125 yards in the first half, but only 15 yards on 10 carries in the second.
Cassel suffered a head injury late in the game and backup Brady Quinn saw some playing time.
Ravens’ rookie kicker Justin tucker was 3 for 3 to win the game.
After a mini bye, it was disappointing to see the Ravens fall flat to the Chiefs. They have the same inconsistency issues they had last season. They play hard against the “good” teams and fall flat against the mediocre ones.
I am still trying to comprehend what went wrong for the Ravens and how to fix it. While I’m happy they pulled off the win, I worry how they will fare the rest of the season. They have a tough schedule and will face good quarterbacks including Texans’ Matt Schaub on October 21.
Thankfully they got the job done, but they gave their fans heart attacks in the ugly win. I hope they tighten up the screws and step it up next week when they face the Dallas Cowboys in Baltimore.
Zennie Abraham