Can the Chiefs Find Sucess Against Ravens' Defence

By: Matteo Ametrano 

The Kansas City Chiefs for the sixth straight season find themselves in the AFC Championship game. With the chance to win back-to-back Super Bowls for the first time since the Patriots did it in 2003 and 2004, Mahomes and Andy Ried have a tough task ahead of them.

A rare occurrence for this game to be anywhere but Arrowhead… Nevertheless, we head to Baltimore as soon-to-be two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are the obstacle standing in the way of Patrick Mahomes and his fourth Super Bowl appearance. A lot of people doubted the Chief's ability to make it this far based on the way their regular season went, and how their offense seemed to always be missing something. However, football fans have learned to never doubt Patrick Mahomes, Andy Ried, and Travis Kelce in January as they have found their groove and are coming into Baltimore as confident as ever. This was not the case however for the Ravens as they dominated the regular season. On both sides of the ball, Baltimore found ways to suffocate their opponents on their way to blowing out multiple playoff teams, including a playoff win last weekend vs the Texans. The Ravens allowed the fewest points per game in the NFL while scoring the fourth most, and also had the best rush attack in the league, led by Lamar.  One of the biggest questions heading into this game is; can Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense find success against one of the best defences in the league?

Though some believe that this was a down year offensively for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, they were still able to possess one of the league's best passing attacks. Even with the drop issues that resulted in Mahomes throwing uncharacteristic interceptions, the Chiefs still threw the ball for 246.5 yards per game, which was sixth-best in the league. Overall, the Chiefs tallied a total of 351 yards of offense per game, which was ninth in the NFL. 

But with this, the Chiefs adapted and found other ways to beat their opponents. In years past this offense relied on a lot of Andy Ried's creativity in the red zone, and a deep ball, or two from Mahomes to Tyreek (like we saw in the SB against San Fran). This year, we saw a new evolution of the Chiefs offense as they developed a new identity, and this has shown in their first two playoff games.  Even with troubling tackle play throughout the regular season, the interior of the offensive line remained one of the best in the league. Two-time Pro Bowl Centre Creed Humphry and All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, who is also one of the best pass protectors in the game, have anchored this run game, and have also made this unit significantly stronger come January.   Because of this, the Chiefs have been able to unleash Isiah Pacheco as he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards this season, and 186 over the first two playoff games, adding two touchdowns.  

The success of this offensive line against the Bills in the Divisional Round, and at home vs the Dolphins on Wild Card Weekend was one of the main reasons they were able to dominate in the run game as the Chiefs have ran for 293 yards already during this playoff run. 

Success for the Chiefs against the Ravens on the offensive side will start with the big boys up front. If they can maintain and quiet down the Ravens stellar pass rush, and establish the run game early on, then the Chiefs will be able to find ways to manipulate single coverage when opportunities arise.

Keeping Mahomes upright and comfortable in the pocket will be one of the main priorities for the Chiefs offense coming into Baltimore this Sunday. The Ravens led the league in sacks with 60, and their young pieces in the secondary such as CB Brandon Stephens and All-Pro Safety Kyle Hamilton will certainly make it difficult for Kelce, Rice, and the other Chiefs weapons to get separation. 

Joe Thuney and Pacheco however, have been on the Chiefs injury report throughout the week. Pacheco with a toe injury, and Thuney with a pectoral injury suffered against the Bills. However, news from ESPN’s Adam Schefter this week has been rather negative regarding Thuney’s pec as most recent reports are doubting his availability for Sunday's game. This could be a potential big loss for the Chiefs as the Ravens rush will certainly be able to expose a banged-up Chiefs front line. 

Will Mahomes find a way to pull off the upset and end the MVP season for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens?  We find out this Championship Sunday at 3:00 in Baltimore.