Let's Talk About Baltimore (AFC Championship)

[SHOWTIME]

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

[Raiderhater]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

I just don’t care anymore. I don’t care what other fans think. I don’t care that they think we are being dismissive or overconfident or whatever. They are insignificant to my fan experience which revolves solely around my team. Their team is just something that stands in our way of the SB. We’ll either beat the Ravens or we won’t. But, I’ll take my chances with the guy that’s been there and done that at the highest level, and who is undoubtedly the best QB in the NFL. He is Michael Jordan in the NBA Playoff’s special.

I honestly don’t care anymore either, especially in regards to Baltimore fans who have celebrated what, two or three SBs in the relatively short time they’ve had that franchise after stealing it from Cleveland? Yeah, those spoiled pricks can kick rocks, I have zero empathy for them having to deal with our legitimately earned cocky attitude.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by tredadda

There are some solid posters on the Ravens board I checked out, but the majority of it is essentially “We are gonna smash KC because our team is so awesome!”

Nothing different than we heard from Titans fans, Niner fans, Bills fans, Bengals fans, and Eagles fans to name a few.

Respectfully, the Ravens are in a different class than those franchises.

The Ravens have won more Super Bowls in their 28-year history than the Titans, Bills, Bengals, and Eagles have combined in their entire histories. And for as touted as San Francisco is as a franchise, they haven't won a title since the Ravens have existed, and the Ravens are 6-2 against them all time. The Ravens have a pedigree that those other franchises don't.

As to this season, the 2023 Ravens team aren't just a normal number one seed; by advanced metrics, they're historically great. Weighted DVOA has them as the best team ever tracked (the forum won't let me embed a link since I'm new, but here's the link: twitter.com/ASchatzNFL/status/1749454434705211633). The 2019 Chiefs are also on that list, and the 2020 Chiefs beat another team on that list, so anyone doubting the Chiefs is a fool. But again, the idea that the Ravens are no different than the Titans or Bengals is insulting.

As a Ravens fan, I was rooting for the Chiefs to beat the Bills last week. Not because I think the Chiefs are an easier matchup; to the contrary, the Chiefs are the boogeyman even in a "down" year. The reason why I wanted the Chiefs is because if this Ravens team wants to be remembered as historically great, I want them to go through one of the best QBs/coaches of all time who are defending their crown.

I'm confident in saying that the best team will win on Sunday; I'm just not sure which team that is.

[philfree]

I'm not sure about what I'm reading in this thread but going Back to Back is as important to this team and fan base as any other teams desires. Right now winning isn't everything. It's the only thing. Back to Back! Dynasty! I guess on the flip side we just won it all twice in four years.

Back to Back!

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Respectfully, the Ravens are in a different class than those franchises.

The Ravens have won more Super Bowls in their 28-year history than the Titans, Bills, Bengals, and Eagles have combined in their entire histories. And for as touted as San Francisco is as a franchise, they haven't won a title since the Ravens have existed, and the Ravens are 6-2 against them all time. The Ravens have a pedigree that those other franchises don't.

As to this season, the 2023 Ravens team aren't just a normal number one seed; by advanced metrics, they're historically great. Weighted DVOA has them as the best team ever tracked (the forum won't let me embed a link since I'm new, but here's the link: twitter.com/ASchatzNFL/status/1749454434705211633). The 2019 Chiefs are also on that list, and the 2020 Chiefs beat another team on that list, so anyone doubting the Chiefs is a fool. But again, the idea that the Ravens are no different than the Titans or Bengals is insulting.

As a Ravens fan, I was rooting for the Chiefs to beat the Bills last week. Not because I think the Chiefs are an easier matchup; to the contrary, the Chiefs are the boogeyman even in a "down" year. The reason why I wanted the Chiefs is because if this Ravens team wants to be remembered as historically great, I want them to go through one of the best QBs/coaches of all time who are defending their crown.

I'm confident in saying that the best team will win on Sunday; I'm just not sure which team that is.

You should not be insulted by a comparison with the Bengals. They made the Super Bowl for the 2021 season. Their defense allowed fewer points than any team in the Playoffs for 2021 and 2022 seasons. They were a tough ass team. Buffalo found out the hard way in their home stadium when the Bengals completely dominated them. KC has had major problems dealing with them.

I don't think you should be insulted by a comparison with the 2019 Tennessee Titans either. They took down Belichick & Brady in their house. They took down unanimous MVP Lamar Jackson with a 14-2 record and great defense backing him in Baltimore as well. That was a damn good Titans team.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

INJURIES TO MONITOR THIS WEEK #RavensFlock #ChiefsKingdom

Baltimore
RB Gus Edwards (left hand)
LB Patrick Queen (arm/wrist)
CB Ronald Darby (right arm)
CB Marlon Humphrey (calf muscular strain)
TE Mark Andrews (ankle)

Kansas City
LG Joe Thuney (pectoral)
LB Willie Gay (neck)…

— MillsRx (@GameMedicine) January 22, 2024

How bad is McDuffies ankle? We know yet?

We need to have him and Sneed play one on one so we can contain Lamar and the run game.

[pugsnotdrugs19]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

How bad is McDuffies ankle? We know yet?

We need to have him and Sneed play one on one so we can contain Lamar and the run game.

Reid didn’t even mention it Monday, so I don’t think it’s anything to note.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by DRM08

You should not be insulted by a comparison with the Bengals. They made the Super Bowl for the 2021 season. Their defense allowed fewer points than any team in the Playoffs for 2021 and 2022 seasons. They were a tough ass team. Buffalo found out the hard way in their home stadium when the Bengals completely dominated them. KC has had major problems dealing with them.

I don't think you should be insulted by a comparison with the 2019 Tennessee Titans either. They took down Belichick & Brady in their house. They took down unanimous MVP Lamar Jackson with a 14-2 record and great defense backing him in Baltimore as well. That was a damn good Titans team.

Was there anything notable about those Bengals/Titans teams? They were fine teams, but that's it. They didn't go all the way, they didn't put up historic numbers during the regular season, and they weren't full of guys who will be remembered of all-time greats.

Compare to this Ravens team, which has the most victories over teams with winning records in NFL history--including the playoffs (proof: youtube.com/watch?v=vrAyCa9CDtc). They also have the most wins of 14+ points versus teams with winning records in NFL history (proof: twitter.com/FrontOfficeNFL/status/1741592576506069308). And they have at least three guys who are more likely than not to make the Hall of Fame (Harbaugh, Tucker, and Lamar) and two more who are young and already stack all pros (Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith).

And again, the Ravens as a franchise have more championship-level pedigree than the Titans, Bills, Bengals, and Eagles all put together.

All I'm saying is that if Ravens fans are confident, they have good reason to be. The only team with more of a right to be confident is... the Chiefs

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

As a Ravens fan, I was rooting for the Chiefs to beat the Bills last week. Not because I think the Chiefs are an easier matchup; to the contrary, the Chiefs are the boogeyman even in a "down" year. The reason why I wanted the Chiefs is because if this Ravens team wants to be remembered as historically great, I want them to go through one of the best QBs/coaches of all time who are defending their crown.

I'm confident in saying that the best team will win on Sunday; I'm just not sure which team that is.

I don't give a shit about the rest of what you said but the above is a very respectable point. It's gonna be a hell of a game. The Ravens are a very good team and Lamar seems to be playing at a more confident level. But, man, Mahomes is just so damn good in the postseason. He's like Derek Jeter if Derek Jeter was the best player in the league every regular season. It's just a different level for him this time of the season. Not only is he Michael Jordan, he's Michael Myers as well. You'd better be ready to (figurative speech forthcoming) shoot him, burn him, blow him up, drown him, freeze him, etc. He just cannot be killed.

If Baltimore wins this game they will have absolutely earned whatever accolades y'all will recieve.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Was there anything notable about those Bengals/Titans teams? They were fine teams, but that's it. They didn't go all the way, they didn't put up historic numbers during the regular season, and they weren't full of guys who will be remembered of all-time greats.

Compare to this Ravens team, which has the most victories over teams with winning records in NFL history--including the playoffs (proof: youtube.com/watch?v=vrAyCa9CDtc). They also have the most wins of 14+ points versus teams with winning records in NFL history (proof: twitter.com/FrontOfficeNFL/status/1741592576506069308). And they have at least three guys who are more likely than not to make the Hall of Fame (Harbaugh, Tucker, and Lamar) and two more who are young and already stack all pros (Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith).

And again, the Ravens as a franchise have more championship-level pedigree than the Titans, Bills, Bengals, and Eagles all put together.

All I'm saying is that if Ravens fans are confident, they have good reason to be. The only team with more of a right to be confident is... the Chiefs

End of the day, regular season doesn't mean anything. Patriots made it undefeated all the way to the Super Bowl and lost. They were killing everyone they played that season until the Giants found a way to beat them. So we just have to see how it goes in the game.

The Chiefs have been counted out many times, including by myself. I'm a pessimist by nature and haven't felt great about their chances all the time while watching them. They are the Cardiac Chiefs. They are capable of beating anyone and capable of losing to anyone as well. They don't blow out other teams. They usually don't beat the betting spread when they are favored by a lot of points. But they are absolutely capable of beating teams that are supposedly much more talented and better than them. The Niners and Eagles in the Super Bowl are good examples of that.

I didn't feel good about KC's chances in that Buffalo game, knowing KC's sloppy problems on offense this year. I still think the sloppy mistakes on offense can absolutely ruin the season for the Chiefs, but they played clean enough against Buffalo to stay alive in the tournament. Hardman's fumble at the goal line is the type of crap they cannot do if they want to beat the Ravens, but they played a pretty great game on Offense outside of Hardman's mega blunder.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by Why Not?

I don't give a shit about the rest of what you said but the above is a very respectable point. It's gonna be a hell of a game. The Ravens are a very good team and Lamar seems to be playing at a more confident level. But, man, Mahomes is just so damn good in the postseason. He's like Derek Jeter if Derek Jeter was the best player in the league every regular season. It's just a different level for him this time of the season. Not only is he Michael Jordan, he's Michael Myers as well. You'd better be ready to (figurative speech forthcoming) shoot him, burn him, blow him up, drown him, freeze him, etc. He just cannot be killed.

If Baltimore wins this game they will have absolutely earned whatever accolades y'all will recieve.

Absolutely agree with this. The Mahomes/Reid combination is transcendent to the point that the supporting cast is almost beside the point. And unfortunately for everyone else, the Chiefs still have a good supporting cast.

One thing I'll say though is that the last iteration of this brilliance was Brady/Belichick. And the Ravens were Patriots killers. We gave them their best game by far during their undefeated season in 2007. We destroyed them in Foxborough in the 2010 playoffs. Outplayed them and dropped the winning touchdown in the 2011 AFCCG in Foxborough; crushed them in the 2012 AFCCG in Foxborough. Lost but were up on them by 14 in the second half in Foxborough in the 2014 playoffs. And crushed them for their first loss in the 2019 season when they came into Baltimore at 8-0.

Lots of reasons for Ravens fans to be confident. But maybe even more for Chiefs fans to be.

[Johnny8]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Fair enough. Hamilton on Kelce will be interesting. From a Ravens fan perspective, what areas are you all are discussing that you see as a weakness for KC? What about areas of concern? I mean like honest assessments and not "Ravens will smash them because we are the bestest" opinions of sports radio.

I think your run defense will struggle against our rushing attack. The run D hasn't been great all year (neither has ours), and we love to run the ball.

I would also never use the term weakness when referring to an offense with Kelce or Mahomes, but the offense just really hasn't scared anyone this year. I don't think KC has "found it" after their best offensive game of the year last week (based on DVOA). Combining that with the best ravens defense we've had in a long time, I really do like our chances. With any QB not named Mahomes, looking at the rest of the team, I think we easily win by 10+. But since Mahomes is who he is, I think it'll be closer. I am still very confident in my team, though!

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by DRM08

End of the day, regular season doesn't mean anything. Patriots made it undefeated all the way to the Super Bowl and lost. They were killing everyone they played that season until the Giants found a way to beat them. So we just have to see how it goes in the game.

The Chiefs have been counted out many times, including by myself. I'm a pessimist by nature and haven't felt great about their chances all the time while watching them. They are the Cardiac Chiefs. They are capable of beating anyone and capable of losing to anyone as well. They don't blow out other teams. They usually don't beat the betting spread when they are favored by a lot of points. But they are absolutely capable of beating teams that are supposedly much more talented and better than them. The Niners and Eagles in the Super Bowl are good examples of that.

I didn't feel good about KC's chances in that Buffalo game, knowing KC's sloppy problems on offense this year. I still think the sloppy mistakes on offense can absolutely ruin the season for the Chiefs, but they played clean enough against Buffalo to stay alive in the tournament. Hardman's fumble at the goal line is the type of crap they cannot do if they want to beat the Ravens, but they played a pretty great game on Offense outside of Hardman's mega blunder.

Good points. I won't count the Chiefs out as long as the Mahomes/Reid era exists. And like the all-time greats they are, they're playing their best football right now. Will take the Ravens' best to beat the Chiefs as much as the other way around.

[BWillie]

One thing that surprised me looking at the stats is that the Ravens have some of the least amount of 4th down attempts in the National Football League. I feel like years prior they had some of the most. That makes me feel alot better that they may choose to punt on those 4th and 4s. Maybe it has just been a product of the game environment, them being up, protecting leads etc.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Good points. I won't count the Chiefs out as long as the Mahomes/Reid era exists. And like the all-time greats they are, they're playing their best football right now. Will take the Ravens' best to beat the Chiefs as much as the other way around.

I hope so at least. KC has been so sloppy this season that Baltimore might not need their best stuff to win. The Chiefs are one of the best teams in the 2023 NFL season at shooting themselves in the foot, haha. Offensive Line penalties, bad interceptions by Patrick, bad fumbles by various players, bad route running by receivers, bad drops by the receivers...hell, really dumb playcalls from Andy in certain situations.

But they did show some signs of life after their meltdown game against the Raiders on Christmas Day. Andy Reid supposedly trimmed down the playbook, benched a couple of WR's who have been a major problem. Patrick seems way more focused than he did a month ago. Kelce seems way more focused than he has looked all season as well. They've already made it further in the Playoffs than I expected after the Christmas game.

So what the heck, let's roll the dice and see how it goes. It would be cool if this game turns into a pretty good shootout in the 4th quarter.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Baltimore has a scary team this year, no denying it. But KC has the best coaching staff in the league. I have no doubt Andy will bring his guys well-prepared and ready to play. It's going to be a real test. I agree that this game will likely be tougher than the Super Bowl if we do make it that far. Baltimore is the 1 seed for a reason.