After the Chiefs’ first loss in 337 days, the AFC’s elite are as close as ever

Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) scores a touchdown during Sunday’s game against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.Photograph: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

There were two games on Sunday that allowed fans and analysts to get a very good read on the AFC. In the early slate, there was the now 8-2 Pittsburgh Steelers v the now 7-4 Baltimore Ravens. In the late slate, it was the Kansas City Chiefs v the Buffalo Bills.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has been great against most opponents as a passer, but the Steelers have had his number. In six previous career games against Baltimore’s most prominent divisional opponent, Jackson had completed 78 passes on 132 attempts for 870 yards, four touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a passer rating of 66.8 – by far his lowest against any opponent. And against Pittsburgh on Sunday, Jackson completed just 16 of 33 passes for 207 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a passer rating of… 66.1. Pittsburgh has a knack for forcing Jackson to stay in the pocket, compressing things with pressure, and blanketing his receivers with tight coverage.

Related: NFL roundup: Allen’s 26-yard gallop helps Bills end Chiefs’ bid for perfect season

Things began less than optimally for the Ravens with several unexpected debits. Running back Derrick Henry, who is also a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate this season, fumbled for the first time in a Ravens uniform, and for the first time in his last 538 touches. Henry hadn’t done so since Week 15 of the 2022 season, when he was with the Tennessee Titans. And future Hall of Fame kicker Justin Tucker continued his recent accuracy maladies with two missed field goals on consecutive drives in the first half. Tucker has already missed six field goal attempts this season after missing just five in the entire 2023 campaign.

Those two Tucker misses mattered a lot, because this was a typical Steelers-Ravens rock fight with the final score 18-16 in Pittsburgh’s…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-first-loss-337-days-080033468.html

Author : The Guardian

Publish date : 2024-11-18 08:00:33

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