Let's Talk About Baltimore (AFC Championship)

[SHOWTIME]

Headed back to the AFC Championship Game!!!! Discuss.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Eh, that's not really true. No one wanted to give up two first-round draft picks for him PLUS take on his salary PLUS piss off the Ravens for future trades. Sometimes the tag is just used to help understand the market.

And none of these things would be an impediment were Patrick Mahomes to hit the market.

And it wasn't the belief in his PRESENT level of production that turned teams off. Nor was it concerns over his ability to produce in the regular season.

26 year old QBs with an MVP in their pocket aren't typically guys that teams think "Man, 2 first rounders is too much to give up if we also have to clear salary cap space...."

Wonder what the distinction could possibly be?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And none of these things would be an impediment were Patrick Mahomes to hit the market.

And it wasn't the belief in his PRESENT level of production that turned teams off. Nor was it concerns over his ability to produce in the regular season.

26 year old QBs with an MVP in their pocket aren't typically guys that teams think "Man, 2 first rounders is too much to give up if we also have to clear salary cap space...."

Wonder what the distinction could possibly be?

True.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

I think it goes both ways. There are people acknowledging that the Ravens are a worthy challenger. But there are as many if not more expressly stating that the Chiefs have seen and dispatched teams better than the Ravens many times before and will assuredly do so again. You’re right that they’re not serious people though, so I shouldn’t dwell.

We've beaten better teams than this Ravens team. Not sure why that hurts you so much?

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by StalkRavenMad

I know this because Lamar himself and John Harbaugh said it.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yeah - trying to deal your QB away then giving him a deal you can escape before he turns 30 just reeks of a team that's confident he's winning with his mind...

I gotta give props to you. There were oodles of people who acted like the Ravens overpaid for Lamar before this season began, but I thought they went extinct when he immediately went on the win MVP and made the contract look like a bargain in addition to it not being guaranteed and not being a 10-year deal requiring constant restructures. But you’re bravely continuing on as the last of your species. Fight on!

[kstater]

Originally Posted by StalkRavenMad

I've watched every single snap this team has played and I've watched it several times. I've seen teams send blitzes at him and I've seen teams play coverage on him. He's been able to eat it all up. I've seen teams try to keep him in the pocket where he's had 4, 5, 6 secs and seen him be patient and carve it up. Ove seen him on tje Jags game escaped pressure amd have a ball 30 yards down field for a completion that left the defender literally asking "How".

Jackson is 8th in the league in sacks taken. Hardly eating it all up.

Sent from my SM-S906U1 using Tapatalk

[ForeverIowan]

Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19

When the Ravens have the ball:

Spagnuolo is challenging his guys all week to step up against the NFL's #1 ranked rush offense and will scheme as such. The plan will be do everything humanly possible to keep down-and-distance in the Chiefs favor. Lamar has better weapons than he's ever had, but how many teams have 1) kept them out of consistent 2nd/3rd-and-shorts, or 2) boast the talent the Chiefs defense has?

The world will realize pretty quick how vulnerable that Ravens offensive line is in pass protection if Spags and the gang can just be certain to make them work for it. You can't let them run at you the way Buffalo did - you can't fear Lamar as a passer the same way Josh Allen warrants. You CHALLENGE him to win as a passer. If he does? Well that's what Jalen Hurts did to us last year. Still lost, but gave us the best chance to win the game because Spags knows that if we let Baltimore play on their terms, rushing relentlessly, it's over.

When the Chiefs have the ball:

Have to continue to commit to running the football, esp with power/gap schemes. Can you catch BAL in a bad look 2-3 times and let Pacheco take off for 25+ yards? I bet you can if you stick to it. Chiefs are on a heater these last few games of breaking off some explosives. And that's all you need. Can't expect 5.0 YPC consistently -- but you can break some big ones to keep their defense honest.

After that? We count on Mahomes. We count on Kelce against a defense that has let tight ends get the better of them plenty. A playbook that is expanding - no bullets will be withheld in this one. Continue to protect the tackles. Yes, they're playing well, but this won't be easy for them either. It's a great defense - play calls being on-point is a non-negotiable. If they aren't, Mahomes is gonna have to play hero ball all day. But this is the same staff that knew how to take advantage of Philly last year in the red zone, so I don't expect them to fail there.

As a whole, withstand the early energy. Place is gonna be a madhouse early on. Only the Chiefs have the power to zap that energy away and make it quiet.

Agree with everything you said. Easier said than done, but don't let Lamar be a pure athlete in this game. Make him play left-handed. The more throws from the pocket and the more decisions he has to make in the passing game the better. I think the Bills knew they couldn't have any drive killing sacks and negative plays. Josh Allen did an incredible job staying ahead of the chains all game. It wasn't until the 4th quarter when Tranquill and McDuffie shot some running lanes on 1st down that we got them in some second and long scenarios. Lamar tends to depend on his athleticism to a fault and take some sacks and drive killing negative plays. Get them behind the sticks and the turnovers will come.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brother

We've beaten better teams than this Ravens team. Not sure why that hurts you so much?

Not statistically. But sure, “Pasta Little Brother” says they’re better, and so it is.

[wazu]

Originally Posted by StalkRavenMad

What metrics are you using that says you're the best defense in the NFL? I think you're underestimating just how talented this offense is.

It's at least a discussion. Chiefs had second best scoring defense combined with second best yardage defense. They are elite. The Ravens are as well. I'd probably give a slight edge to the Ravens for doing a better job at creating turnovers.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Not statistically. But sure, “Pasta Little Brother” says they’re better, and so it is.

Depends what "statistic" you use

We know this from the "number 1 offense and defense and point differential champion Bills team we pounded a few years ago.

Last year's Eagles team was a better squad than we'll face Sunday for sure.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

That’s fair. I can see how it comes across that way.

Personally, that’s not my intention. I’m not here to clamor on about how the Ravens are better than the Chiefs and demand that Chiefs fans bend the knee. You guys are the champs until you’re not, and you have the “it” QB/coach combination of this era.

My contention is more so that the Ravens aren’t just some other team that has had a fun season and is a speed bump in your way. This is as stiff of a test for the Chiefs as it comes. And vice versa. Whichever team wins this game will have earned it.

We'll see. And I don't mean that in a confrontational way... said the same thing against the Eagles and by halftime said..... YUP! They're pretty damn good. Have also said it several other times against paper champs.

It's nothing against teams with flying mascots, it's just the sad state of the NFL where you really can't get a handle on teams until this stage.

The Ravens get all the credit for not having a Browns "great defense" that also gave up 30ppg several times and they're a far cry from the Dolphins who got dominated by every decent team they played. They did everything well and outside of a couple off days or injuries whatever, couldn't ask for anything more. Obviously not "their fault" they pulled the Texans who were a ****ing mess all around, but it's not exactly playoff football... just like the Chiefs pulling the corpse of Roethlisberger a couple years ago or even the Dolphins in the WC round. Doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things.

Sadly though, the NFL only has a few real SB caliber teams every year followed by a wide chasm of shit, and we rarely get down to business until this weekend (or with the AFC recently, Bills/Bengals/Chiefs divisionals)..

[Pinchshot]

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief

What the **** are you saying? I actually said the Wonderlic is BS as some guys are football guys and get it, they are football smart. I played with some in college. Dumb as a box of rocks on many things, but were football smart and gamers...

As far as the Blitz comments. Again, the Chiefs back 7 are night and day better than the Texans. We can go cover 0 and blitz and stop the short and intermediates as well. Spags may let you go up and down inside between the 20's as well and not blitz and play soft only to tighten the screws and make you kick FGs. This will really depend on how our offense is faring...

The Wonderlic is the most important factor in picking a QB.

[zapocalypse]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brother

Excuses already?

"Its....afraid!"

How cute, Lil Bro coming to the defense of NWO. Excuses? We curbstomped the entire NFL this year and your QB cant beat this team in Baltimore because he doesnt have the talent at the skill positions compared to what they will be going up against and he will not have time to boot. Think Tampa Bay repeat, son. The only team Baltimore was worried about this year was the Cleveland Browns and your only trip to the SB would come via that hit crew the NFL is sending out.

[StalkRavenMad]

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief

What the **** are you saying? I actually said the Wonderlic is BS as some guys are football guys and get it, they are football smart. I played with some in college. Dumb as a box of rocks on many things, but were football smart and gamers...

As far as the Blitz comments. Again, the Chiefs back 7 are night and day better than the Texans. We can go cover 0 and blitz and stop the short and intermediates as well. Spags may let you go up and down inside between the 20's as well and not blitz and play soft only to tighten the screws and make you kick FGs. This will really depend on how our offense is faring...

The wonderlic bit was for all your compadres you talked about the wonderlic score. Lamar toom Soags lunch money the last time he played him. I know that was Niemann and Sorenson, and the Honeybadger, but it was Spags that dialed up the blitz. I'm quite sure it was his intention the last time they played to make them kick field goals until Mike Danna bit on that nasty fake an Lamar flipped into the endzone. You have a good back 7 but your LBs gonna have to cover Likely, MAndrews, or Justice Hill coming out the back field. It's going to be fun watching the chess match but don't think Spags is the only that has multiple moves he can make.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by zapocalypse

How cute, Lil Bro coming to the defense of NWO. Excuses? We curbstomped the entire NFL this year and your QB cant beat this team in Baltimore because he doesnt have the talent at the skill positions compared to what they will be going up against and he will not have time to boot. Think Tampa Bay repeat, son. The only team Baltimore was worried about this year was the Cleveland Browns and your only trip to the SB would come via that hit crew the NFL is sending out.

You lost to Indy at home, gave up THIRTY THREE AT HOME to Cleveland and lost to Kenny Pickett

Unbeatable my ass