Wild-Card Weekend
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Baltimore showed up; Kansas City didn’t. That was the story of this game. After taking a 3-0 lead, Baltimore gave up a big touchdown run, 41 yards, to Jamaal Charles. In a position where they could have easily fallen apart trying to fix things that weren’t broken, the Ravens instead settled down and never gave up another score to the Chiefs.
Joe Flacco never faced too much pressure, and when he did he was able to get out of the way and still deliver solid throws. He finished the day with 265 passing yards and two touchdowns. Matt Cassel, however, was the Matt Cassel many expected to see but Chiefs fans hoped never to see again. He threw for just 70 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Ray Rice never got a whole lot going with his legs, but with a solid defensive effort and an offensive line that was protecting its quarterback, Flacco carried his team to the Divisional Round, it’s third appearance in the second round in as many years. That accomplishment made Flacco the first player to make and win a playoff game each of his first three years in the league. With this win he also tied Dan Marino’s record for most wins in a quarterback’s first three seasons.
This loss ended the hopes of Chiefs fans and players who were hoping to finally win a playoff game after such a long wait. They have not won a playoff game since the 1993 season, when they made it to the AFC Championship game only to lose to a Bills team that would go on to lose its fourth consecutive Super Bowl.
The future does look bright for the Chiefs, though. They completely revamped their team last offseason and could be looking at another good year in the AFC West next season (pending the CBA situation).
Baltimore, meanwhile, punched their ticket to Pittsburgh with this win and that rivalry would be renewed. It is a rivalry that seems to boast games that get closer and lower scoring every time they meet. These two teams have defenses that are constantly ranked in the top 5-10 of all defenses in the league. They also boast two quarterbacks who have proven their worth to their teams but tend to have more troubles than usual when facing the opposing defense.
Final Score: Baltimore Ravens – 30, Kansas City Chiefs – 7
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