The Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t handle the Baltimore Ravens on WIld Card Weekend, losing 30-7 at home after a brutal second half. Matt Cassel was 9-for-18 with 70 yards and three interceptions and Jamaal Charles’s breakaway speed wasn’t quite enough. Joe Flacco was nearly perfect, going 25-for-34 with 265 yards and two touchdowns, hitting Todd Heap 10 times for 108 yards.
The Chiefs, champions of the AFC West, fell apart after being down just 10-7 at the half. Charles broke away for a 41 yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but the offense just couldn’t get downfield after that; their second back, Thomas Jones, was little-used and ineffective, and Dwayne Bowe was held without a single reception—only Dexter McCluster was struck more than four times by the Chiefs offense.
The Baltimore Ravens will move on to face the Pittsburgh Steelers next Saturday. The Steelers and the Ravens each finished 12-4 in the AFC North, with the Ravens’ 17-14 victory over the Steelers in Week 4 being balanced by a 13-10 loss in Week 13.