Marlon Humphrey among 3 listed as questionable for AFC Championship game

The Ravens are listing Marlon Humphrey, Rock Ya-Sin and Tylan Wallace as questionable for the AFC Championship game, while Mark Andrews will play

The Ravens released their final injury report, and the team is listing Marlon Humphrey, Rock Ya-Sin and Tylan Wallace as questionable for the AFC Championship game, while Mark Andrews will play after missing six games.

Head Coach John Harbaugh said he is “confident” that Humphrey will play on Sunday, which is a big boost to the secondary. Ronald Darby has played well with Humphrey sidelined, and it could give Baltimore’s secondary even more versatility.

Andrews enters the game with no injury designation.

3 burning questions ahead of Ravens AFC Championship matchup vs. Chiefs

We’re looking at seven burning questions ahead of the AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Baltimore for the AFC Championship Game to take on the Ravens.

Since becoming Kansas City’s head coach in 2013, Andy Reid has been 4-1 through the regular season against the Ravens, while quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been 3-1.

Last Sunday, the Chiefs defeated the Bills in Buffalo 27-24 to advance to the AFC’s final game, while Baltimore is riding high after a 34-10 win over Houston and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

With preparation for the matchup set to begin, here are three burning questions to answer.

Ravens vs. Chiefs: 7 early storylines to watch in the AFC Championship game

We’re looking at seven early storylines to watch when the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game

The Kansas City Chiefs travel to Baltimore for the AFC Championship Game to take on the Ravens.  Kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium is slated for 3:00 p.m. ET.

Sunday will mark the Chiefs sixth-consecutive AFC title game appearance, it’s first of the stretch that will be played on the road.

Last Sunday, the Chiefs defeated the Bills in Buffalo 27-24 to advance to the AFC’s final game, while Baltimore is riding high after a 34-10 win over Houston and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The last time these two teams met was in 2021 in Week 2.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had two fourth-quarter rushing Touchdowns to defeat the Chiefs 36-35.

Since becoming Kansas City’s head coach in 2013, Andy Reid has been 4-1 through the regular season against the Ravens, while quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been 3-1.

With preparation for the matchup set to begin, here are seven storylines to watch.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid praised WR Justin Watson’s fiery response to big hit vs. Raiders

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid praised WR Justin Watson’s fiery response to taking a big hit vs. #Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs’ victory on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders featured various players making significant plays. The team’s toughness, especially on offense, has been criticized recently, and the unit bounced back tremendously, overwhelming Las Vegas.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took note of the team’s resilience after a touchdown catch from wide receiver Justin Watson. Watson sustained a big hit at the beginning of his route from Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane but bounced back up to complete the touchdown. Reid spoke about Watson being flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after getting in Spillane’s face after the play during Monday’s Zoom press conference.

“Listen, let me explain. He hit him pretty good. I knocked him off his feet. Just the fact that he bumped up the way he bounced up was amazing. And then to make the catch,” said Reid. “I love to see the fire [in] the guys. I can’t stand the penalties right now, but the fire, I can see why he did what he did. I mean, that was a pretty, pretty rough hit that he took there.”

Watson barely missed much time after suffering an elbow injury earlier in the season and has now two consecutive weeks of touchdown receptions in the red zone.

“So, but he’s a tough kid, man. A tough kid. And for him to bounce up like he did. And then the score.” said Reid, “I mean, he didn’t flinch and lick on that. Though. I’m good, but I’m not good.”

The Chiefs are still committing too many penalties, with their starting right tackle, Jawaan Taylor, leading all players with fourteen this season.

Chiefs use trickeration on game-tying drive against Raiders

The Chiefs came back from down 14-0 to tie the Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs’ social media team nailed it by saying of course a trick play would be used in Las Vegas.

But the double-reverse, flea-flicker? Andy Reid is a genius.

Watch it unfold and then after Patrick Mahomes connects with a wide-open Travis Kelce you will see four Raiders tracking down the great tight end.

Vegas’ Robert Spillane scored a clean knockdown of Justin Watson as the receiver left the line of scrimmage.

Spillane forgot to cover Watson afterward and was simply a game of pitch-and-catch for the Mahomes and Watson.

The Chiefs had come back from 14-0 down to tie the game at halftime.

WATCH: Chiefs WR Justin Watson catches TD vs. Raiders in Week 12

#Chiefs WR Justin Watson caught a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes against the #Raiders in Week 12.

The Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 14-point deficit to even the score against the Las Vegas Raiders just before halftime in Week 12. After second-year star Isiah Pacheco scored the team’s first touchdown on a rush near the goal line, Kansas City’s defense gave Patrick Mahomes a chance to tie the game before halftime.

The NFL’s reigning MVP would do his part to get the Chiefs back in the game when he found veteran wide receiver Justin Watson for a touchdown with just under 30 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Watson made a rookie mistake after the big catch, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after exchanging words with a Raider as part of his touchdown celebration.

While this play created some positive momentum for Kansas City, the outcome of this game is still very much in question. The Chiefs have come out flat through two quarters, and Las Vegas looks primed to play the spoiler as Kansas City fights to keep its hopes of earning the AFC’s top playoff seed alive.

Chiefs receivers’ inability to catch anything vs. Eagles blows up on social media

The Kansas City Chiefs’ receivers couldn’t hold onto anything on Monday night against the Eagles, and social media had… jokes.

The Kansas City Chiefs had this one in the bag.

Up 17-7 at the half against the Philadelphia Eagles in their Super Bowl LVII rematch on Monday night, the Chiefs went back on the field for the second half of the game and promptly got themselves shut out in the second half… which is not an unusual occurrence these days.

Kansas City’s offense has been a problem all season long, and Patrick Mahomes’ receivers were certainly Reason No. 1 in this game, an eventual 21-17 win in Philly’s favor. Over and over, Mahomes made pinpoint throws to his receivers, and over and over, those receivers failed to bring the ball in.

After the game, Mahomes tried to take the blame, as any responsible quarterback will do.

But stuff like this just doesn’t work. Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s drop — one of five in the game for Mahomes’ receivers — was the worst of the night.

Not that MVS was the only issue.

The Chiefs now lead the league with 26 receiver drops on the season, six more than the New York Jets. Mahomes finished the night with 24 completions on 43 attempts for

Not what you would expect from this particular offense. Frustration from social media was palpable.

WATCH: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes finds WR Justin Watson for TD vs. Eagles

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes found Justin Watson in the end zone to give Kansas City an early lead against the #Eagles in Week 11.

The Kansas City Chiefs have taken an early lead against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 after Patrick Mahomes found wide receiver Justin Watson for a first-quarter touchdown early in the Super Bowl LVII rematch.

Mahomes faced some pressure on the play near the goal line, and managed to throw one of his signature jump passes to Watson, who was wide open in the end zone.

Check out this magnificent connection, which gave Kansas City a seven-point lead after kicker Harrison Butker nailed his point after try at Arrowhead Stadium:

While this play gave the Chiefs the upper hand in this matchup, the team’s work is far from over. Philadelphia has proven to be a worthy adversary through the game’s first few minutes, and with plenty of time left to play, the final outcome still hangs in the balance.

Watch for Mahomes to continue spreading the ball around to leverage all of Kansas City’s offensive talent against the Eagles’ exceptional defense.

The Chiefs’ deep passing game has fallen apart. How can they fix it?

The Kansas City Chiefs’ deep passing game has been a disaster this season. How can they turn it around against the Miami Dolphins’ defense?

When the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany, they’ll be doing so with a severe deep passing deficit. Through the first eight weeks of the season, Patrick Mahomes has completed just 10 of 31 passes of 20 or more air yards for 351 yards, one touchdown, five interceptions, and a league-high eight turnover-worthy throws. That likes up for a passer rating of 44.1, and that’s a stark drop from last season, when Mahomes completed 28 of 66 deep targets for 931 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 104.7. Mahomes had just three turnover-worthy deep throws in the entire 2022 season, and that included the entire postseason, including the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win.

Mahomes’ receivers have taken a large share of the blame for this, and based on the tape, that’s legitimate. Justin Watson has been Mahomes’ only reliable deep target, with six deep catches on 12 targets for 180 yards, Other than that? Crickets. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has caught just three deep targets this season, and he was supposed to be Mahomes’ primary deep target post-Tyreek Hill (who Kansas City’s defense will have to deal with, of course).

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire) get into why this has happened, and how the Chiefs can fix it.

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You can watch this week’s full “Xs and Os,” featuring all of Week 9’s biggest NFL matchups (including Ravens-Seahawks) right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Now, let’s unearth some of the issues with this Kansas City deep passing game.

Chiefs WR Justin Watson is expected to be available for Week 8 tilt vs. Broncos

Kansas City #Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson is expected to be available vs. #Broncos in Week 8 after missing the last week. | from: @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to have wide receiver Justin Watson back on the field this Sunday as he works his way back from an elbow injury. The Chiefs announced on Friday their final injury report ahead of their road matchup against the Denver Broncos.

Watson led the Chiefs with 21.9 yards per catch before his injury in Week 6 against the Broncos on Thursday Night Football. The injury occurred in the fourth quarter, and he was removed from the game quickly afterward as the Chiefs won the first meeting 19-8 at Arrowhead Stadium. Watson suffered a dislocated elbow, and the following days’ X-rays were negative.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid declared that Watson was cleared to play on Sunday with a protective brace on the injured elbow during his Friday press conference.

“Yeah, it is a brace that he wears. But he’s handled it well. Doesn’t look like it’s hindering him, you know, catching the ball.” said Reid, “So I know, initially, when he put it on, it was awkward. But I think he’s gotten used to it. With all the reps. He’s had here.”

Kansas City has also listed starting linebacker Nick Bolton (Wrist) as out for this Sunday, which was expected after wrist surgery this week. Harrison Butker was a full participant in practice on Friday after missing Thursday due to an illness and is expected to play this weekend.