SportsDirect Inc. staff
Jan 9, 2011
Joe Flacco threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and the Baltimore Ravens capitalized on a string of mistakes en route to an easy 30-7 win over the host Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in the AFC wild card round.
Flacco connected on scoring passes to Ray Rice and Anquan Boldin as Baltimore reeled off 27 unanswered points and became the second straight lower-seeded team in the AFC to notch a playoff win this weekend.
Tight end Todd Heap had 10 receptions for 108 yards and Willis McGahee sealed it with a 25-yard scoring run to help propel the Ravens (13-4) into a matchup at AFC North rival Pittsburgh next Saturday.
The Ravens, winners of five straight, and Steelers have split two meetings this season, each winning on the other's field.
Kansas City (10-7), making its first postseason appearance since the 2006 season, unraveled in the third quarter, committing three turnovers and getting stuffed on fourth-and-inches on its opening possession of the second half.
The Ravens turned the miscues into a pair of 29-yard field goals by Billy Cundiff and a 4-yard touchdown pass from Flacco to Boldin to extend a 10-7 halftime lead into a 23-7 cushion.
Matt Cassel finished 9 of 18 for 70 yards and three interceptions for the Chiefs, who haven't won a playoff game since 1993.
Jamaal Charles scored Kansas City's touchdown on a 41-yard run late in the first quarter to give the Chiefs their only lead at 7-3.
However, Charles and Dexter McCluster also lost fumbles as Kansas City had possession of the ball for only 18 minutes, 16 seconds.
Flacco, who completed 25 of 34 passes, helped turn the momentum when he directed an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive just before the half, hitting Ray Rice with a 9-yard touchdown pass to send the Ravens to the locker room with a 10-7 lead.
Heap had three catches for 46 yards on the touchdown march and finished the half with seven catches for 81 yards.