Patrick Mahomes has passed for 385 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for a score, as Kansas City Chiefs recorded a 34-20 victory over Baltimore Ravens in a showdown between two of the NFL's best teams.
Mahomes completed 31-of-42 passes and repeatedly spread the ball around, as five Kansas City players topped 60 receiving yards. Left tackle Eric Fisher and fullback Anthony Sherman caught touchdown passes, as did receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman.
Chris Jones stood out on the defensive side with two of Kansas City's four sacks and he also two forced fumbles, as the Chiefs started 3-0 for the fourth consecutive season.
Lamar Jackson completed 15-of-28 passes for a mere 97 yards and one touchdown for Baltimore (2-1). The passing output was Jackson's lowest in 25 games as a starter.
He also had 83 rushing yards on nine carries for the Ravens, who also received a kick-off return score from Devin Duvernay.
The Ravens had just 228 yards of total offence, after averaging 394 yards and 35.5 points over their first two games. The Chiefs had 517 yards, while holding a 29-16 edge in first downs and converting 10-of-13 third-down opportunities.
Travis Kelce led Kansas City with 87 receiving yards on six receptions. Also topping 60 were Hardman (four for 81), Hill (five for 77), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (five for 70, plus 64 rushing) and Sammy Watkins (seven for 62).
Baltimore trailed by 17 at halftime, but got back into the game on a 42-yard field goal by Justin Tucker with 6m 13s left in the third quarter and Jackson's five-yard touchdown throw to Nick Boyle on the first play of the final stanza to pull within 27-20.
But Kansas City answered with a 13-play, 75-yard drive, and coach Andy Reid pulled out a trick plays on first-and-goal from the Ravens' two-yard line. Fisher pretended he was blocking and then slid into the left flat to catch the scoring pass from Mahomes on the tackle-eligible play with 8m 14s remaining to make it a 14-point margin.
The Ravens reached the Chiefs' 13 on their next drive, but Ben Niemann and Frank Clark sacked Jackson on back-to-back downs (second and third) to account for 18 yards in losses, and Jackson's fourth-and-24 pass was incomplete with 4m 55s left to end the suspense.
Mahomes passed for three touchdowns and ran for another, as the Chiefs held a 27-10 halftime lead.
After Tucker capped Baltimore's first possession with a 26-yard field goal, Kansas City moved 75 yards on six plays, with Mahomes scoring the touchdown on a three-yard run.
The Chiefs drove 68 yards on 13 plays on their second chance with the ball and the drive ended with Mahomes tossing a five-yard shovel pass to Sherman to make it 13-3 with 12m 52s left in the first half.
Duvernay displayed his speed on the ensuing kick-off, returning it down the right sideline for a 93-yard touchdown.
But Kansas City's offence kept clicking, as Mahomes threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Hill and a 49-yarder on third-and-14 to Hardman to account for the 17-point advantage.
Reuters
