'Once We Got on Them, We Didn’t Let Up' — Frank Clark and the Chiefs' Defense Held Lamar Jackson in Check for Week 3 Win
To defensive end Frank Clark, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 3 match up with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football was all about eliminating a nasty taste.
By holding the Ravens' offense to 228 yards while beating them 34-20, the Chiefs were able to do just that.
“Overall, this week is all better,” Clark said. “I feel like from the top on down to the bottom, from the staff to the players, it’s just felt better. We came in with a different type of mentality, it wasn’t just we’re facing the Ravens and a high power running attack, the MVP or whatever. We just wanted to prove to ourselves that we’re more, we’ve got so much more.”
After allowing the Ravens to travel inside their 10-yard line on the opening drive, the Chiefs' defense — most notably safeties Juan Thornhill and Tyrann Mathieu — stepped up, forcing kicker Justin Tucker to a 26-yard field goal.
Baltimore only reached a similar spot once more during the game, resulting in a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson to tight end Nick Boyle in the fourth quarter.
In total, the Ravens had 16 first downs, with just three third-down conversions.
“Any time I’ve played the Ravens since I’ve been in the league, whether it be in Seattle or down here the last two years, every game has been won up front,” Clark said. “Whether it’s been the Ravens or whether it was us, every game has been won upfront. We knew that coming into the game. “
The Ravens ran the ball 21 times with nine coming in the first half for 158 yards. Jackson led with 83 yards on nine carries, highlighted by a 30-yard run in the first quarter, Baltimore’s longest play of the contest.
The Chiefs limited Jackson to a career-low 97 passing yards. He averaged just 3.5 yards per completion and was sacked four times for a loss of 27 yards.
Clark attributed holding the 2019 NFL MVP back to patience — something the Chiefs didn’t necessarily have against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.
“For a player that’s so fast and so explosive and can make so many plays,” Clark said. “He can make plays throwing the ball or running the ball. He's got that patient game. I can’t give away too many other secrets, you know, because we got to play this man the next few years down the road. I’m sure we’ll probably see him again this year. That’s a great team over here. I feel like we got on them a lot and once we got on them, we didn’t let up.”
