Tag: afc title game

Lamar Jackson’s Ravens were good enough to win the Super Bowl. They just ran into Patrick Mahomes

The juggernaut Ravens proved that Patrick Mahomes will own the NFL until he doesn’t want to.

This was supposed to be the Baltimore Ravens’ year.

They had Lamar Jackson, an MVP-caliber quarterback near the peak of his powers. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s was of a historic variety, stymying every offense it faced this season. It was more akin to a suffocating boa constrictor than a group of 11 players trying to dutifully keep the offense from gaining 10 yards. Despite a rash of injuries, a well-stocked roster rife with depth came prepared to dominate every week. John Harbaugh might have done the finest coaching job of his career. Bar none.

Sunday was the first time the Ravens ever hosted an AFC title game. In every phase, one could have easily argued this was the best team Baltimore’s ever fielded. A Super Bowl 58 berth — and a subsequent win — seemed all but inevitable. “How could they fall short?” was an entirely reasonable question to ask about these Ravens.

The answer to that question was Patrick Mahomes — pro football’s analog to Michael Jordan and LeBron James at the same time. Put another way: an athlete who will almost always elevate his team more than the sum of its parts in the playoffs.

We should’ve seen a Baltimore collapse coming from a mile away.

The one way the underdog — yes, underdog — Chiefs would upset the Ravens on Sunday was if they landed a decisive punch in the early stages. Anything to seed some doubt in the NFL’s unmitigated juggernaut in 2023 would’ve sufficed. Anything to make the Ravens anxious and panic at adversity they seldom faced over the last five months.

With Mahomes at the controls, the Chiefs landed a whopping haymaker instead.

After the Chiefs forced a Baltimore three-and-out on its first possession, the Ravens had an opportunity to answer, get off the field, and keep the Chiefs from gaining an all-important pole position. This was the breaking point, the moment the game would likely tilt in their favor for most of the ensuing three hours or unleash a slowly building tidal wave of misery in another disappointing Ravens’ playoff run. Someone was about to experience a permanent momentum shift in the biggest pro football game ever to take place within the city limits of Baltimore.

The reality, the sheer inevitability of Mahomes, struck when he completed a laser of a 13-yard pass to Travis Kelce on fourth and two to extend the possession. It was the first sign Mahomes wouldn’t let the Chiefs get embarrassed.

The defending Super Bowl champions came to win, and the No. 1 contender to their title belt foolishly overlooked this possibility.

After this kind of completion — where it was clear Mahomes arrived in a zone — you could almost sense a coming back-shoulder touchdown throw to Kelce with all-worldly Baltimore safety Kyle Hamilton in coverage.

What symbolism, what a statement. And uh-oh, Baltimore.

One would’ve thought the seemingly unflappable Ravens wouldn’t let this snowball. A 7-0 deficit … at home? That’s not insurmountable. It shouldn’t matter who the quarterback is, right? Wrong.

After Mahomes and Kelce caught Baltimore off guard, the Ravens flat-out folded. They scored just 10 points the rest of the game. For whatever reason, offensive coordinator Todd Monken opened the floodgates to continuous Lamar Jackson pressure from the Chiefs’ defense rather than lean on the NFL’s top rushing offense. It predictably resulted in just three third-down conversions and a paltry 5.9 yards per play. While the Ravens were not short on chunk plays, you didn’t even need a full hand of fingers to count the number of possessions where they actually stressed the Chiefs’ stifling defense otherwise.

Baltimore never had the juice, adding an air of helplessness to heartbreaking scenes like this:

The Ravens fumbled in their own territory. They fumbled when crossing the goal line. They committed silly penalties at the worst possible times, losing their composure when any hint of self-assurance might have been the difference in a one-score battle. They fumbled practically every opportunity they had to beat an inferior team with a superior quarterback. And while they gradually combusted into a dull, uninspiring, and colorless flame, the finest quarterback in football history was the coolest customer.

In arguably the toughest test of his already legendary career, Mahomes was perfect. He completed 13 of his first 14 passes. He kept the Ravens’ ferocious pass rush at bay by spamming low-risk but efficient short passes out to Kelce and the least-talented skill group he’s seen since becoming a starter in 2017. In a game manager performance where he didn’t eclipse 250 yards passing, Mahomes was the composed maestro, the man who wouldn’t dare give the other team an inch, let alone make any backbreaking mistake to capitalize on and flip the result on its head.

In this performance, Mahomes somehow took another step as a bona fide future First-Ballot Hall of Famer. This was him learning what it means to play within himself and steal away a road game to earn a fourth Super Bowl trip in six seasons. Sometimes, all this silly football hoopla amounts to is staying composed while letting the other team step on an unfathomable supply of rakes in defeat. It’s just that simple.

Once Mahomes got even the slightest advantage, he helped keep the Ravens in a vicious chokehold they never had a chance of escaping from.

While their response and game plan sometimes left things to be desired, the Ravens didn’t really do anything wrong on Sunday. Play against any other team, and we’re probably talking about how Jackson and friends match up with the San Francisco 49ers in Sin City in two weeks. Play against any other team, and we’re probably putting the Ravens in some “greatest team of all time” conversations. They were, indeed, that good this year.

But this is what happens when you face the haunting specter of Patrick Mahomes in late January.

Without hesitation, he turns every seeming fact into a fantasy before driving a dagger into your season.

Odell Beckham Jr. consoled a visibly heartbroken Lamar Jackson after Ravens’ AFC title game collapse

Lamar Jackson deserved so much better.

Lamar Jackson is already one of the NFL’s most accomplished quarterbacks ever. In a few weeks, the electric talent will likely win his second career MVP award. But for a player of Jackson’s caliber, he’s undoubtedly much more concerned with competing for Super Bowls, not individual honors.

Unfortunately, after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s AFC title game, Jackson will have to wait at least another year. And he understandably doesn’t feel great about it.

After a clutch Marquez Valdes-Scantling catch cemented Baltimore’s defeat, Odell Beckham Jr. was seen comforting a clearly heartbroken Jackson. The superstar left it all on the field and still couldn’t take his team to the promised land:

The Ravens looked like they were destined for Super Bowl 58. They had everything, including a top-five quarterback. In almost any other year, the Ravens win and probably get their crowning moment in Las Vegas. But they didn’t. Still, chances are, they’ll be back in this exact spot next year with another shot at the Super Bowl.

Losing this one stings so much for Jackson, and you have to feel for him.

Tyreek Hill laughed about Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s drop reputation after he sealed the Chiefs’ AFC title

Tyreek Hill was so happy to see MVS be the Chiefs’ hero.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is probably one of the NFL’s faster receivers. He’s a big play waiting to happen … but only if he actually catches the ball. Despite his speed, Valdes-Scantling has a notorious drop reputation and was undoubtedly one of the biggest reasons the Kansas City Chiefs offense struggled during the second half of the regular season.

About that.

On Sunday, with a trip to Super Bowl 58 on the line, Valdes-Scantling, of all people, made the game-sealing catch against the Baltimore Ravens’ league-leading defense. What irony for a player who probably would’ve dropped such a big pass earlier this season.

Former Chief Tyreek Hill — who is never a stranger to huge plays — made sure to give Valdes-Scantling some love on Twitter:

Kudos to Valdes-Scantling for stepping up when his team needed him the most. The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl again, and you can bet Valdes-Scantling will have his number called at some point in Las Vegas.

Zay Flowers taunted Chiefs’ L’Jarius Sneed, whose revenge was forcing a back-breaking goal line fumble

L’Jarius Sneed made Zay Flowers regret his cockiness SO quickly.

For most of Sunday’s AFC title game, the Kansas City Chiefs had the Baltimore Ravens’ offense locked up. But at the start of the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson and Zay Flowers finally found room to make some plays.

After scoring the only points of the game for Baltimore early on, Flowers would burn Kansas City’s No. 1 corner, L’Jarius Sneed, for a key 50-yard bomb that should’ve set up the Ravens in the red zone. There was just one problem.

Flowers hit the taunting trifecta of standing over Sneed, pushing him, and throwing the ball at him. He would be deservedly fined 15 yards for the sequence:

Fortunately for Flowers, he’d almost make up for it by catching a short screen, then taking a crossing route into the end zone … except the latter didn’t actually happen.

When Flowers started reaching the ball across the goal line, Sneed punched it out at the perfect time for a Kansas City fumble recovery. Instead of a Ravens touchdown or even a field goal, Baltimore came up empty while trying to rally. Talk about getting timely revenge in a clutch moment:

After this brutal mistake, there was still plenty of time left on the clock, but it sure felt like the beginning of the end for Baltimore. And it’s all thanks to Sneed for maintaining his composure after Flowers tried to rub salt in the wound about a deep completion.

NFL fans were in awe of Travis Kelce passing Jerry Rice for the most playoff catches ever

Travis Kelce is the best tight end of all time and it’s not close.

Whenever Travis Kelce retires, he will one day strut into the Hall of Fame. Even before Sunday’s heated AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was clearly one of the greatest playmakers in NFL history. And in the playoffs, Kelce really turns it up a notch.

So much so that he surpassed one of the finest receivers ever to wear shoulder pads and a helmet.

With nine first-half catches (for 96 yards and a touchdown), Kelce eclipsed San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice for the most playoff receptions in NFL history. The list is now Kelce at 154 (and counting) in first and the most productive receiver of all time in second.

It’s true, but it’s also bonkers to think about.

Kelce is getting up there in years at the age of 34. But who’s to say he can’t keep this magic going with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City? I have a feeling he’s about to really separate himself from Rice and cement himself as a beyond-iconic playoff performer.

Next up on the record list? Rice’s playoff record of touchdowns (22) and Kelce (19). We might even see it happen this postseason.

Lamar Jackson unbelievably completed a pass to himself for a first down against the Chiefs

“Screw it, I’m down there somewhere,” Lamar Jackson, probably

Lamar Jackson is one of the greatest talents we’ve ever seen play the quarterback position. It feels like at least a few times a game, he’s doing something no one else is even capable of considering.

A broken play sequence late in the first half of Sunday’s AFC title game against the Kansas City Chiefs might take the cake.

After a Jackson short pass was batted at the line of scrimmage, it sure seemed like the Chiefs would capitalize with an interception. The only problem was that Jackson followed the play perfectly and ran right under the ball for a 13-yard gain. That’s right. Jackson completed a pass to himself for a first down. At the time of this writing, with the 13-yard catch, he was also the Ravens’ second-leading receiver.

Dearest readers, when I tell you I’ve never seen anything like that in an NFL game, I mean it:

Jackson is a football wizard. A magician of the highest order. What else can we possibly say to describe him? What’s his next trick going to be? I can’t wait to find out.

The Ravens trolled the Chiefs with a Swag Surfin’ celebration after Zay Flowers’ touchdown

The Ravens were so ready to be petty to the Chiefs.

The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs wasted no time being petty with each other before Sunday’s AFC title game. In warmups, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce tossed around Justin Tucker’s kicking equipment. Then, later, the Ravens’ Arthur Maulet threw a punch during a heated on-field exchange just before kickoff.

The “festivities” continued as the Chiefs and Ravens started throwing actual touchdowns at each other. After Zay Flowers caught a 30-yard laser from Lamar Jackson to knot the game up at 7-7, he and some of the other Ravens’ skill players did a “Swag Surfin” dance celebration.

It’s an apparent nod to a celebration the Chiefs themselves adopted as a team toward the end of the 2023 season, where Taylor Swift also went viral for doing it.

And hoo boy, do we love this kind of overt pettiness in a game to go to the Super Bowl:

This AFC title game has barely bled into the second quarter. One thing’s for sure: we will probably only see more heat between two of the NFL’s best teams.

Lamar Jackson hilariously admitted that he hates competing against Patrick Mahomes ahead of AFC title game

Lamar Jackson HATES playing against Patrick Mahomes. Which, duh!

Almost from wire to wire, the Baltimore Ravens were the NFL’s best team this year. They are the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl 58, with Lamar Jackson the frontrunner for the big game’s MVP. But to capture their first championship in over a decade, they have to beat Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs in this Sunday’s AFC title game.

Gulp.

In a Wednesday Ravens’ press conference, Jackson was asked about what it’s like trying to beat Mahomes, especially in the postseason. The superstar didn’t give a straight answer. Before going into a tangent about appreciating a “heavyweight fight,” he joked that he doesn’t like competing against Mahomes at all! You can indeed respect an opponent and still hate playing them, folks.

Honestly, who could blame Jackson for wonderful candor?

Jackson’s Ravens are just 1-3 all-time against Mahomes’ Chiefs. But the last time the two teams met, the Ravens overcame the Chiefs in an instant classic. Not by coincidence, it happened in Baltimore. So, that at least bodes well for Baltimore’s chances in trying to knock off the defending Super Bowl champions.

One thing’s for sure: these two talisman quarterbacks will probably put on a show with a next-month trip to Las Vegas on the line.

Chiefs S Bryan Cook candidate for second-year jump in 2023

Our @LazarczykLogan believes #Chiefs S Bryan Cook is poised for second-year jump in 2023.

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Drafting and developing players will be key to the Kansas City Chiefs’ future with QB Patrick Mahomes taking up a substantial part of the salary cap for the foreseeable future.

One area where the team has a lot of cheap and young talent is in the secondary. Bryan Cook will be one of the young players in contention to see his role and production increase compared to his rookie season. The second-round draft pick out of Cincinnati gained a good amount of experience last season, playing in multiple roles throughout the course of the season.

More particularly, Cook lined up almost three times more often at free safety than in the box. With the departure of Juan Thornhill, Cook will likely step into the starting lineup at free safety. Thornhill lined up at free safety over 800 times last season for Kansas City. That paired with fellow S Justin Reid noticeably bulking up, it is very plausible that Reid plays more at strong safety than he did a season ago.

Not only have circumstances surrounding other players opened up opportunities, but Cook’s play down the stretch proved he can play a major part in this defense.

Tackling was a strength of Cook’s in college, which translated over to the NFL. He wasn’t able to show it due to limited snaps in the first few weeks of the season, paired with the learning curve for a rookie. However, after those early games, the Cincinnati product’s game would sharpen all around in the playoffs.

The second-year safety had his best game in the AFC Championship Game against the Bengals. Not only was he stellar in the tackling department, but Cook made a great play on a pass from Joe Burrow. After providing the necessary help over the top, Cook tipped an attempted pass for Tee Higgins, leading to an interception by CB Joshua Williams. He proved that he was capable in the most important game of the season to that point. The performance also came against one of the best WR tandems in the league.  It certainly provides optimism for the secondary’s future.

Finally, Cook has a certain level of confidence about him. It’s something that his teammates and coaches both have noticed. That confidence in his assignments should allow him to play faster and make fewer mistakes during the course of the 2023 NFL season.

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Making a case for Marquez Valdes-Scantling as Chiefs’ WR1 in 2023

Our @LazarczykLogan continues his four-part series with a look at Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s potential to be the #Chiefs’ No. 1 receiver in 2023.

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Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling is entering his second season with the team after signing a multi-year contract last year. Although he is entering year two in the Chiefs’ system, Valdes-Scantling is the longest-tenured NFL veteran in the receiver room.

When discussing options for the top wide receiver in Kansas City, Valdes-Scantling doesn’t get enough credit. We already know the type of player he is at this point in his career, yet it’s not impossible that the 28-year-old wideout could wind up as the top receiver for Mahomes in 2023. There are many unknowns with the other players in the room and Valdes-Scantling can be a constant at the very least.

Before arriving in Kansas City, Valdes-Scantling was primarily used as a field stretcher in Green Bay. With the Chiefs, he was asked to be more effective in the intermediate parts of the field while still being used to exploit defenses down the field at times.

Valdes-Scantling failed to surpass 700 yards in 2022 and only caught two touchdowns on 42 receptions. Stacking his production against others in the room will reveal that he’s the only receiver on the roster with more than 570 yards receiving in a given season.

If there were another piece of evidence to prove that Valdes-Scantling could be the leader in the receiving room, it would have to be the AFC title game against Cincinnati. Albeit, Kansas City was without Justin Watson going into the contest, Travis Kelce was dealing with a back injury that almost kept him sidelined, and Juju Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Toney all left the game with injuries. Nonetheless, Valdes-Scantling was instrumental in the win, catching six passes for 116 yards and one touchdown.

The 6-foot-4, 206-pound receiver has the lowest ceiling among the top receiving options in this offense in 2023, but he also possesses the safest floor.

Part 1 Kadarius Toney
Part 2 Skyy Moore
Part 3 Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Part 4 Rashee Rice

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