The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 37-20, in dominant fashion on Sunday afternoon to even their record on the season.
After falling behind by a touchdown following the Ravens' opening series, Kansas City went on to score 20 unanswered points over the remainder of the first half and carried a double-digit lead into halftime.
The Chiefs scored on each of its first four possessions as part of that effort, and while the offense piled up points, the defense held Baltimore – the league's top-scoring offense entering the game – to just 10 points across its six first-half possessions.
That was all despite what seemed like a great start for the Ravens, who scored on their first possession and looked to be marching toward a touchdown on their second series, too, until linebacker Leo Chenal made an outstanding, one-handed interception at the Kansas City 16-yard line.
"[That] was big," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "I thought it was just all the way around – momentum included – a spectacular play, period – [and] athletic."
The play prevented what could have been an 11-point Ravens' advantage, and instead, Kansas City proceeded to march down the field and narrow Baltimore's lead to just a single point. The Chiefs then moved in front when quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 4-yard touchdown strike one series later, seizing a lead that Kansas City would never relinquish.
In fact, following the Ravens' opening scoring drive, the Chiefs went on to outscore Baltimore by a mark of 37-13. Kansas City scored on seven of its first eight possessions behind a four-touchdown performance by Mahomes through the air, and a player right in the middle of it all was wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who returned to action on Sunday after missing the Chiefs' last two games due to a shoulder injury.
Worthy contributed in a big way, to say the least, with 121 total scrimmage yards on just seven touches. He finished the game as the Chiefs' leading receiver and rusher, igniting a Kansas City offense that tallied its highest point total since early in the 2023 season.
"He's just so explosive," Mahomes said. "You just see it when you get the football in his hands, the defenses have to adjust and when they adjust, he gets so much attention on him, [and] other guys can make plays happen. Just having him out there, not only for his physical ability, but just the morale of the room, I thought it was huge."
That offensive performance kept consistent pressure on a Ravens' offense that entered the game averaging 37 points-per-game, but despite that firepower, the Chiefs' defense shut down Baltimore's high-octane attack throughout the matchup.
Kansas City held Baltimore to a 3-for-10 mark on third down while forcing two takeaways and three turnovers-on-downs, holding the Ravens to by far their lowest point total of the season.
"I thought right from the get-go, after that first drive, we just put our foot down," Reid said. [Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] had a nice plan there."
It all helped the Chiefs record their second-straight win following their 0-2 start to the year, and with the Los Angeles Chargers losing to New York earlier in the day, Kansas City now sits at only one game back in the AFC West standings heading into Week 5.
In terms of injuries, Coach Reid reported that the Chiefs came out of the game with a clean bill of health.
Next up, the Chiefs will take aim at their third win in a row with a prime-time showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football on deck.
