The Baltimore Ravens fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-20, at home on Monday Night Football. Defending MVP Lamar Jackson was 15 for 28 with 97 yards passing.
Baltimore had previously gone 14 straight regular-season games without trailing in the second half. They lost to the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the playoffs after being down 14-6 at halftime. The Chiefs got up to a 27-10 lead at the half and the game felt over.
Leroy Hoard, not one to believe in narratives, agrees with this one completely.
"He can't come from behind and that would be a true indication of whether he can throw from the pocket or not," Leroy said. "They epitomize front-runners."
The Ravens are built on running the football, especially with Lamar Jackson, and it seems when they are trailing that Jackson is forced to stay in the pocket and throw the ball downfield, a stark contrast from Patrick Mahomes.
"You can literally put him (Mahomes) down three touchdowns and he is good," said Hoard.