Visitor:  Baltimore Ravens

Home:  Kansas City Chiefs

Date:  January 9, 2011

AFC Wildcard Playoff

 

Scoring:

Team               1          2          3          4          Final

BAL                3          7          13        7            30

KC                  7          0          0          0             7

 

Visitor playmakers:

RB Ray Rice, WR Anquan Boldin, RB Willis McGahee, DB Dawan Landry, LB Ray Lewis, DB Haruki Nakamura, LB Terrell Suggs, DB Josh Wilson

 

Home playmakers:

RB Jamaal Charles, LB Jovan Belcher, DE Tamba Hali, DE Tyson Jackson

 

Network:  CBS (KCTV Kansas City)

Announcers:  Jim Nantz, Phil Simms

 

Pregame:  Yes

Halftime:  Yes

Postgame:  Yes

Commercials:  Yes

 

Grade:  9/10

 

Notes:  Lewis and Baltimore's tough and savvy defense overwhelmed the young Chiefs on Sunday, sacking Matt Cassel three times and forcing five turnovers in a 30-7 victory in the opening round of the playoffs.

 

The Chiefs (10-7), who won the AFC West with a six-game improvement and took pride in not beating themselves, managed just 25 yards in the second half.

 

Baltimore (13-4) broke open a close game with a touchdown and two field goals off turnovers in the second half. Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes, Billy Cundiff kicked three field goals and Willis McGahee closed out the scoring with a 25-yard run in the fourth quarter.

The Ravens led 10-7 in the third quarter when Kansas City lost a fourth-and-inches gamble and then collapsed, quickly.

Dawan Landry stopped the play, throwing Charles for a 5-yard loss. On the next play, Tamba Hali drew a 15-yard penalty for a late hit on Flacco and the Ravens drove in for Cundiff's 29-yard field goal, making it 13-7 with 6:36 left in the third.

A moment later, Lewis put a jarring hit on McCluster, knocking the ball loose. Chris Carr recovered on the Kansas City 17, leading to another 29-yarder by Cundiff.

Then, a harried Cassel was intercepted by Landry, who angled left to the 21. An illegal block on Baltimore's Cody Redding pushed the Ravens back 10 yards, but Flacco made sure to convert this opportunity into a touchdown.

Kansas City finished the season saddled with an NFL-record seventh straight playoff loss, dating back 17 years.  The Chiefs' postseason drought stretches to the AFC championship game at Buffalo in January of 1994. The losing streak includes four different coaches.

Running time:  3:11 (3 DVDs)