Another long road awaits Ravens for next shot to prove Kansas City isn’t their “kryptonite”

“They’re not my kryptonite.” 

Roughly 30 minutes after the Ravens lost Thursday’s 27-20 heartbreaker to Kansas City by an Isaiah Likely toe out of bounds, the question cited Lamar Jackson referring to the Chiefs as “our kryptonite” four years ago. To be fair, I can’t really blame the frustrated two-time MVP quarterback for not wanting to entertain a question about a comment uttered in the aftermath of a more lopsided loss early in the 2020 season. That 34-20 final at M&T Bank Stadium was the only one of Jackson’s five defeats to Kansas City that came by more than one score, and if we’re being honest, it wasn’t as close as the score indicated. 

Still, in games started by Jackson over his seven-year career, he’s suffered nearly as many losses to the Chiefs (five) as the entire AFC North combined (seven). Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid account for more than a fifth of his 24 career losses as a starter in the regular season and playoffs. If that’s not kryptonite, it’s still a tough pill to swallow for a team that’s mostly been regular-season royalty from the moment Jackson became the starting quarterback six years ago. 

The difference between these teams may not be dramatic, but it’s still there more than seven months after Baltimore’s loss in the 2023 AFC title game, one the Ravens surely haven’t gotten over. The defending Super Bowl champions remain the better team, and Baltimore — along with the rest of the AFC — continues chasing them. What was most disappointing about Thursday’s defeat was the Chiefs again being the more physical and composed team. The Ravens are the ones used to being the bully dictating their style of play, but Kansas City has maintained that edge in the last two meetings.  

Still, the Ravens had a shot to steal a victory in the closing moments after trailing for most of the game. 

Yes, Jackson did all he could to will Baltimore to a comeback victory, running for 122 yards on 16 carries — taking quite a bit of physical punishment in the process — and throwing for 273 yards in what was a disjointed passing attack lacking rhythm or a consistent ability to push the ball downfield. The 27-year-old superstar was spectacular at times, but he also left his share of plays on the field, which included the two incompletions that preceded Likely’s regulation-ending grab that was called a touchdown before being overturned by replay review. 

Close, but no cigar.

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The Ravens must now turn their attention away from the Chiefs and toward the rest of a long season to secure the right to a potential rematch in January. John Harbaugh’s team has much to clean up and improve in the coming days and weeks, but a narrow defeat in Kansas City doesn’t alter expectations in any meaningful way. 

The offensive line remains a major work in progress, but anyone paying attention all spring and summer couldn’t have been too surprised. The pass protection must improve and did settle in over the course of the night, but the run-blocking difficulties were a big reason why four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry never really got going in his Ravens debut, forcing Jackson to do most of the legwork himself. We’ll see how this offensive line develops and evolves as veteran Patrick Mekari and rookie Roger Rosengarten rotated at right tackle and new starting guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele experienced ups and downs. Everything should be in pencil at this point. 

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley and Mekari certainly can’t repeat their problems lining up properly — regardless of how it was called by the Week 1 officiating crew. 

The reported fractured orbital bone suffered by veteran Kyle Van Noy increases concerns at outside linebacker, but this defense should only improve under new coordinator Zach Orr after an up-and-down performance. The coverage bust leading to Xavier Worthy’s fourth-quarter touchdown catch was bad and burning two timeouts early in the second half was even worse, but this talented unit should settle in and improve as the Ravens did during Mike Macdonald’s first season in charge two years ago. 

You certainly expect better from star inside linebacker Roquan Smith and star safety Kyle Hamilton, who had forgettable performances compared to their own lofty standards. In contrast, second-year inside linebacker Trenton Simpson made plays in pass coverage and was a positive in his first NFL start, and 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo collected a sack and generated pressure in his first regular-season action since last September.  

Clock management was a problem at the end of the first half and on the penultimate drive of the game, which is something that cannot happen if you want to give yourself the optimal chance to beat the Super Bowl champions. It ultimately falls on Harbaugh to make those improvements and make sure his staff is getting the right personnel and calls to the field to prevent such hiccups. 

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Still, the brightest spot from Thursday’s loss was Likely, who caught a game-high nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown despite his misplaced toe thwarting a second score. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken fully embraced deploying two tight ends at the same time, and Likely remained a major part of the offense despite playing six fewer snaps than Mark Andrews (59) over the course of the night. For years, we’ve discussed Baltimore’s need for an impact No. 3 receiving option behind Andrews and the No. 1 wide receiver — first Marquise Brown and now Zay Flowers — and Likely is rapidly emerging to be that and more on the heels of his terrific finish to last season. 

Despite the season-opening defeat, this should still be a heck of a football team, especially with sufficient growth along the offensive line in the coming weeks. 

But if Jackson and the Ravens truly want to dismiss notions of Kansas City being their “kryptonite,” a long journey awaits before that next shot.