By Matt Stuart | Published | No Comments
Some questioned whether the Kansas City Chiefs, and their quarterback Patrick Mahomes, could go on the road and still manage to reach the Super Bowl. Well they answered those questions with an emphatic yes on Sunday afternoon.
The Chiefs defense stymied Lamar Jackson and the Ravens high powered offense, and in the end, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense did just enough to win their fourth AFC Championship game in the past four years.
The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t lit up the scoreboard these playoffs, as they have in years past, but their defense has stepped up big over their last three playoff games. The Chiefs defense held the Dolphins’ league best total offense to just seven points two weeks ago, and last week the Bills offense was held to just seven points in the second half.
Today’s performance by the Chiefs defense was perhaps their most impressive of the entire season. Facing the likely league MVP in Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Chiefs defense was relentless in getting after Jackson. Jackson was sacked four times on the afternoon, and despite throwing for 272 yards and one touchdown, Jackson was never able to get fully un tracked during the game.
But it was how the Chiefs managed to stop the leagues best rushing attack during the regular season that was most impressive. The Ravens led the league with an average of just over 156-yards on the ground this season. On Sunday, the Ravens were only able to get a little more than half that.
Jackson rushed for just 54-yards, but no other back had more than 20-yards. Most telling was that the Ravens were held without a rushing touchdown and just 81-yards on the ground for the entire day.
The Chiefs defense set the tone early, as they won the coin toss, and deferred to the second half, showing no fear in giving the Ravens the ball to start the game. The Ravens first drive went nowhere, gaining just three yards, and ended with a punt after a very quick three and out.
The Chiefs offense, on the other hand, had little trouble moving the ball down the field on their first possession of the game.
Starting at their own 14-yard line, Mahomes worked mostly underneath, going a perfect six for six through the air, before eventually finding his All Pro tight end Travis Kielce in the front right corner of the end-zone for a 19-yard touchdown to silence the Ravens crowd.
Just like that the Chiefs had grabbed an early 7-0 lead on the road.
Mahomes was seeing the field exceptionally well to start the game, and completed his first twelve passes before finally throwing an incomplete pass to Richie James, early in the second quarter.
The Ravens high powered offense was held to just ten points on the day, their lowest point total of the season. The Ravens would manage just one touchdown in the game, a 30-yard deep strike from Jackson to wide receiver Zay Flowers, which briefly tied the game 7-7.
But Mahomes and the Chiefs would waste no time in answering that score. As once again Mahomes and the Chiefs went on a long and methodical drive, going 75-yards in 16 plays, and taking just over nine minutes off the game clock, before running back Isaiah Pacheco took the ball around the left side of the Ravens defensive line for a 2-yard touchdown.
The Chiefs never trailed during the game, and while Mahomes numbers may not have resembled the stats that fans are used to seeing from him in his many previous playoff games, he was nonetheless extraordinarily efficient.
Mahomes finished 30 for 39, throwing for 241-yards and one touchdown.
Isaiah Pacheco, who wasn’t sure if he would even be able to start, carried the Chiefs rushing attack to the tune of 24 carries, for 68-yards and one touchdown.
The Chiefs would add a 52-yard field goal from Harrison Butker, just as time expired in the first half.
The Chiefs led 17-7 at the half.
The second half saw little scoring, as both team’s defenses would dig in their heels.
The turning point of the game came late in the third quarter. Trailing the Chiefs 17-7, Jackson would hit a wide open Zay Flowers, who managed to get behind the Chiefs secondary, for a huge 54-yard bomb. But after making the catch, Flowers was called for taunting by the officials, as replays showed Pacheco throwing the ball at the helmet of L’Jarius Sneed and then proceeding to stand over him. That unsportsmanlike penalty would back the Ravens up 15-yards.
Three plays later, Sneed would get his revenge on Flowers and The Ravens, when Sneed managed to punch the ball out of Flowers hands, just inches before he could cross the plain of the goal line. The ball was fumbled into the end zone, as the Chiefs Trent McDuffie was able to quickly scoop it up for a Kansas City touchback.
That was a huge swing of momentum in the game, as the Ravens could have pulled to within a field goal of the Chiefs had they been able to score a touchdown.
The best the Ravens could muster the rest of the way would be a field goal to cut into the Chiefs lead 17-10.
The Ravens, who were playing in their first home AFC Championship game since the merger, were just never able to find the balance and rhythm that had served them so well throughout most of the season.
Jackson, for his part, could not make the explosive throws or runs, or enough of them at least, to really challenge the Chiefs defense. When Jackson did run, it was mostly to avoid constant pressure that never let up and got worse as the game went along.
The Ravens got a boost when tight end Mark Andrews was activated in time to start his first game since week 11, when he fractured his fibula. He was a non factor in the game, catching just two passes, for 15-yards.
Jackson finished 20 for 37, with 272-yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Jackson is likely to win his second MVP, for his level of play this season, but questions as to whether he can lead the Ravens to big wins are likely to dog him for yet another off-season.
The Ravens looked like the most dominant team in the league, certainly in the AFC, for much of the season. But Mahomes and the Chiefs did what they so often do this time of year, they found a way to win.
The Chiefs advance to their fourth Super Bowl in five years, and will look to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions, since the New England Patriots did it in 2004.
The Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday February 11th.
