As the Chiefs/Ravens game was winding down yesterday, either an announcer mentioned or the stat flashed across the screen - the Ravens had logged 501 yards of offense.
Wow. Really?
500 yards of offense is a big number. A huge number in fact. A number no defense wants to give up. Which is why I was taken aback by it - the Chiefs defense had played fairly well IMO. Well, fairly improved I'll say now.
So, despite our perceptions of how the defense played yesterday, they still gave up a tremendous amount of field position throughout the game to the Ravens. The Chiefs never gave up 500 yards of offense in a game last year, when the defense was terrible on a historical level.
You have to go all the way back to December 13, 2004, to find when the Chiefs gave up that many yards on defense.
Part of the reason the Ravens were able to produce so many yards was that they ran nearly twice as many plays as the Chiefs offense did - 85 to 44.
Going by the numbers, yesterday was atrocious, embarrassing and we should be up in arms. But...since we're sane fans (most of the time) we look at Derrick Johnson's 70-yard INT return and Tamba Hali's sack and we hope for improvement.
After the jump, I take a look at how the Baltimore Ravens racked up 501 yards of offense on our Chiefs. Let us know where the Chiefs went wrong in the comment section.
First Quarter
Drive #1: After a three and out by the Kansas City Chiefs to begin the game, Baltimore got the ball with 13:35 left in the first quarter and Ravens QB Joe Flacco calmly took his team on a 9 play, 54-yard drive that ended on a 44-yard Raven field goal.
Flacco passed for 52 yards on 3/6 attempts. The drive lasted 3:16 and looked pretty easy for the Ravens.This drive was all passing by the Ravens. Yards gained: 54 (54 total)
Drive #2: After the Chiefs timeout fiasco, a Colquitt punt gave the Ravens the ball back on the Chiefs' 30-yard line with 8:48 left in the first. The Ravens proceeded to march down the field on a 13 play, 80-yard drive that ended with RB Willis McGahee catching and running it in from 3-yards out. Yards gained: 80 (134 total)
7 of the 13 plays on this drive were passes. Flacco was 6/7 for 59 yards. RB Ray Rice added in 20 yards on the ground too.
Second Quarter
Drive #3: After another quick three and out by the Chiefs, the Ravens gained only 11 yards before punting the ball back to the Chiefs. It would be one of their shorter drives of the day made shorter by a Jared Gaither penalty. Yards gained: 11 (145 total)
Drive #4: After one more three and out by the Chiefs, the Ravens came back onto the field for only three plays to spend 1:34 until Jon McGraw sacked their groceries. Punt block. Touchdown. McGraw. Yards gained: 7 (152 total)
Drive #5: The Ravens got the ball on their own 19-yard line with 9:55 left in the half and went no huddle for the next 6:06. Flacco was 5/8 this drive for 56 yards. RB Ray Rice added in ten rushing yards on two attempts, the only two rushing attempts of the drive. Flacco got the Ravens down the Chiefs 23-yard line but the Ravens kicker shanked a field goal wide left. Yards gained 63 (215 total)
Third Quarter
Drive #6: Starting on their own twenty yard line, the Ravens were rolling for the most part this drive. They switched their strategy after halftime. This first second half drive had the Ravens running mostly. Only four plays were pass attempts - with the last one picked by Derrick Johnson who almost took it back for a touchdown. Yards gained: 57 (272 total)
Drive #7: Great field position after DJ's interception let Brodie Croyle hit Dwaye Bowe for a quick strike in the end zone. The Ravens got the ball back and pretty much dominated the Chiefs again. 7 of the 11 plays were runs and almost the entire drive was no huddle. The Ravens started at their own 36-yard line and methodically ran over the Chiefs for the next five minutes until Joe Flacco hit TE Todd Heap for a nine-yard touchdown pass. Yards gained: 64 (336 total)
Drive #8: After stopping the Chiefs on three straight plays, the Ravens got the ball back and had one of their shortest drives of the day. They went five plays and gained 11 yards and one first down before having to punt. Yards gained: 11 (347 total)
Fourth Quarter
Drive #8: After Ryan Succop nailed a 53-yard field goal to tie the game at 17, the Ravens stomped the Chiefs for the next four minutes.
Starting at 11:47 left in the fourth quarter, the Ravens ran nine plays, only one of which didn't gain any yards (incomplete pass). The rest of the plays were a combination of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee rushing the ball and short range Flacco passes. The Ravens went 76 yards in 3:47 and capped the drive off with a McClain one-yard TD run. The score is 24 to 17 in favor of the Ravens. Yards gained: 76 (423 total)
Drive #9: The Chiefs stormed back and in less than three minutes went 80 yards for a touchdown. With the score tied at 24, the Ravens got the ball with 5:21 left in the game at their own 26-yard line. A few Flacco passes and a few more McClain/Rice runs put the Ravens at the Chiefs 31-yard line with just over two minutes left in the game.
Flacco hit Mark Clayton for a 31-yard touchdown pass to put the Ravens up by a touchdown. Yards gained: 69 (492 total)
Drive #10: With the Chiefs down by a touchdown with only minutes to go, the offensive line crumbled, letting the Raven defense sack Brodie Croyle twice and forced a couple of fumbles. The Ravens got the ball on downs on the KC 9-yard line. Four straight Willis McGahee runs punched the ball in for the TD. 38 to 24 Ravens. Yards gained: 9 (501 total)
No question about it. This Chiefs defense got worked. There were a few highlights but when all was said and done, the Chiefs D could not stop Joe Flacco and the Ravens' rushing game. They didn't have enough answers.