The Japan Times - Chiefs, Ravens look for spark amid early season struggles

The Chiefs head into Sunday's collision with the in-form Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium still reeling from a shock loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday which left them with a 2-3 record in the AFC West.

The Ravens meanwhile desperately need to bounce back from a humiliating 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans last weekend when they host the dangerous Los Angeles Rams. That defeat left them on 1-4 for the season.

As the NFL regular season nears its halfway stage, both the Chiefs and Ravens find themselves in unfamiliar territory.

Since 2020, the Chiefs have been the dominant force of the NFL, winning three Vince Lombardi Trophies and reaching the Super Bowl in five of the past six editions.

But the franchise has struggled to shake off the hangover from February's 40-22 Super Bowl thrashing by Philadelphia, with a string of early defeats marking the team's worst start of the Patrick Mahomes era.

Another loss on Sunday against the Lions would nudge the Chiefs closer to full-blown crisis territory.

The Chiefs' problems have partially stemmed from their high penalty count. So far the team has coughed up 42 penalties -- the third worst record in the league -- and gave up a whopping 13 in the defeat to Jacksonville.

"I feel like we have the guys and we've executed at certain points of games and looked really good, and then we crush ourselves with penalties, mistakes, interceptions, fumbles," Chiefs quarterback Mahomes lamented after the Jacksonville loss.

"We've done that to ourselves all year long. We have to be better. We've lost too many games already. We have to find a way to be better as a team and come together and play better throughout the rest of the season."

- Ravens playoff fears -

While the Chiefs retain enough talent and experience to turn around their season, the Ravens' are in danger of dropping out of playoff contention altogether if they don't stop the bleeding quickly.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who missed last weekend's battering by the Texans, continues to be a fitness doubt meaning backup Cooper Rush is expected to start once more.

The Ravens' 1-4 start is the team's worst beginning to a season since 2015. Since 2020, only two teams that started the campaign at 1-4 have reached the postseason.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh insists that the team still has time to turn the season around despite their precarious position.

"You can't sit there and say all is lost. We've done it before, other teams have done it before," Harbaugh said.

"We plan on putting ourselves in position to win this football game and then, going forward, to win a lot of football games this year. That's what we have to do. The urgency is high."

While injuries have derailed the Ravens' start to the season, the San Francisco 49ers have taken disruption to their playing staff in their stride and sit atop the NFC West with a 4-1 record as they prepare to travel to Tampa Bay to face another 4-1 team.

In addition to a season-ending knee injury to defensive star Nick Bosa, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has also had to overcome injuries to quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, among others.

The Buccaneers, meanwhile, have rallied behind the resurgent form of quarterback Baker Mayfield, whose career has enjoyed a renaissance since arriving in Florida after stints with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.

Mayfield, a former Heisman Trophy winner and the 2018 No.1 overall draft pick, steered the Bucs to a thrilling 38-35 road win over Seattle on Sunday.

While it is tempting to see Mayfield's resurgence as a sign of new-found maturity, the 30-year-old insists he remains the same player he has always been.

"Early on in my career, it was 'cocky, immature'," Mayfield said when asked about how he is now perceived. "Now it's 'moxie' and 'he's a dog.' Same shit different day.

"As long as you play well, they change the narrative, but you've just gotta be yourself, and I've always been like that."

T.Ueda--JT