Lamar Jackson and the Ravens stun the bosses

BALTIMORE – There were, on paper, countless reasons why the Baltimore Ravens didn’t have to beat the Kansas City Chiefs here at M&T Bank Stadium. There were the wounded. There was Patrick Mahomes. There were the mistakes, including picking six within a minute of Sunday’s prime-time showdown, that gave the NFL’s top player a seven-point lead.

But there was a reason, an explosive and compelling reason, the Baltimore Ravens wouldn’t lose.

And his name is Lamar Jackson.

Jackson brought the Ravens back from an 11-point deficit, led two brilliant fourth-quarter records, finished both with touchdowns and beat Patrick Mahomes for the first time in his career.

For the Ravens, the thrilling 36-35 victory was crucial. They were 0-1 at the start of the game, having lost a hard blow to the Raiders in Week 1. A 0-2 start would be less than optimal.

And the way things started on Sunday night, the Ravens seemed on their way to a 0-2.

In game three of the game, Ravens wide receiver Sammy Watkins tripped on the way out of a break. Jackson’s pass, which could have been on target, instead spun just past Watkins and into the arms of Tyrann Mathieu, who brought it home.

Over the next 59 minutes, Jackson and Mahomes wowed as only they can. Neither was perfect. Both were electric. They traded touchdown discs. They got a lot of help from their friends in a skill position. Travis Kelce and Byron Pringle turned short Mahomes passes into long touchdowns.

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And for most of those 59 minutes, it looked like the seven-point lead would prove to be critical. Jackson did all he could to overcome this deficit. He threw and even defenders with stiff arms into oblivion. He passed the first tries and a touchdown with his legs. He found a rhythm in the pocket. He skillfully led the Ravens to a field goal before half-time. He hit Marquise Brown with an acrobatic pass for 42 yards that reduced Kansas City’s lead to 28-24 in the third quarter.

But he still spent most of the game playing from behind. The Baltimore defense tried to help. This forced Mahomes to the first interception in September of his NFL career. He forced the third and long ones and brought a crowd of 70,000 to his feet.

More often than not, Mahomes would send them back to their places, shaking his head in exasperation. He sent a deep bullet to Demarcus Robinson. He spread the ball around his many weapons.

His third touchdown pass went to Kelce midway through the third quarter, giving the Chiefs a 35-24 lead.

Then Jackson did what he does – scoring on a 2-yard rush early in the fourth quarter, and another with just over three minutes to go to give the Ravens their first lead of the game.

But Mahomes and company had over three minutes left on the clock, and they quickly waltzed onto the field, into the goal range, and looked certain to regain the lead. But Clyde Edwards-Helaire fumbled with less than two minutes to go, returning the ball to Baltimore.

Armed with three time outs, the Chiefs still had a chance. They just needed to stop Jackson, which they did for three tries. Then came fourth and 1 to the Ravens 43. Punt and the Chiefs probably get the ball deep into their own turf with no downtime and about a minute left.

Instead, John Harbaugh yelled at his quarterback on the field, “Lamar, do you want to go?

What do you think Jackson wanted to do?

Aligned in the shotgun, Jackson took the snap, darted down the left side of the line for a few yards and a decisive first down.

It was a bold call, which a Harbaugh didn’t even hesitate to make. Mainly because he had Lamar Jackson in the backfield.