Well, the first half didn’t live up to the promise of the game of the year. The Chiefs showed up. The Ravens didn’t.
The Chiefs, who led the Ravens 23-6 at halftime in a 33-28 victory in 2019, lead the Ravens 27-10 at halftime Monday night.
The Chiefs ran 40 plays, gained 333 yards, had 18 first downs and went 6-of-7 on third down in the first half. They scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions.
Harrison Butker did miss an extra point and a field goal, and the Chiefs allowed rookie Devin Duvernay to return a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Otherwise, the Chiefs were close to perfect, imposing their will against the Ravens.
Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 league MVP, completed 19 of 27 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns against the No. 1 scoring defense in the league. Mecole Hardman caught three passes for 74 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown. Tyreek Hill caught four passes for 64 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown.
Fullback Anthony Sherman caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes, and Mahomes had a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Ravens have run 26 plays, have five first downs, 97 yards and are 2-for-6 on third down. Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP, has completed 7 of 15 passes for 35 yards. He does have 41 yards rushing on three carries.
Jackson is 0-4 when the Ravens trail by double-digits.
Chris Jones sacked Jackson twice and forced two fumbles, with Damien Wilson recovering one.