Let's Talk About Baltimore (AFC Championship)

[SHOWTIME]

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

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

He’s 27 and just won the MVP with less rushing than ever in his life. He’s past the “freakish athleticism” stage of his career and better than ever.

29 year old Tyreek Hill - washed.

Guess we can rest easier now.

[pugsnotdrugs19]

Originally Posted by ForeverIowan

Pugs - I know you have been active but I asked for your game analysis last week of how you expected the game to go and you pretty much nailed it. I feel like it is good luck at this point. How do you see this one playing out on Sunday?

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.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brother

Sorry....he hasn't improved at all. Bummer for you. Cover 0 will eviscerate him this Sunday. Spags will pick his spots and you will cry.

That worked in the Dolphins game on TNF in 2021. The Ravens adapated and that hasn’t worked since. This has happened many times: a team debuts a new look against the Ravens, people clamor that he has been figured out, and then the Ravens adjust to overcome it. Literally last week, the Texans tried that by blitzing 3x as much as they typically do, and it worked for a whole half before the Ravens adjusted in game and pummeled them in the second half.

Good thing for Chiefs fans that Spagnuolo is calling the game and not you.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

29 year old Tyreek Hill - washed.

Guess we can rest easier now.

Tyreek relies on straight-line speed. That doesn’t fade until later. It’s why Mostert recorded some of the fastest MPHs this year at 31.

Lamar doesn’t win on speed. His “athleticism” is actually a generational level ability to read defenders’ tendencies in the open field and exploit their leverage. It’s fundamentally a cognitive skill and not a physical one, although obviously the quick twitch/speed help.

[Rainbarrel]

Who is the Ravens greatest QB? Flacco?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Many? ‘22 Buffalo was the only all-time team by total (granted, not weighted; but the Raven are easily the best weighted team ever) DVOA through 16 games (ftnfantasy.com/articles/FTN/113412/week-17-dvoa-ravens-no-3-all-time). And they ran into you guys. Certainly a fate that could befall us too. You’re the boogeyman.

The Bills have consistently been a DVOA darling, throughout this time period.

I can’t find rankings for 2019, but the 49ers were high as well.

The Bengals and Eagles have been impressive by that measure, too. I may be mixing remembrance of weighted va standard, too.

Point is: Yes, the Ravens weighted DVOA says they’re historically good. Saying there was nothing special about other teams KC has played, according to DVOA, doesn’t really track because some of them were viewed that way.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

He’s 27 and just won the MVP

I'll raise you the reigning SB MVP.

[Wisconsin_Chief]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

He’s 27 and just won the MVP with less rushing than ever in his life. He’s past the “freakish athleticism” stage of his career and better than ever.

Umm, he threw for under 3,700 yards and 24 TD in 16 games with by far the best WR core he's ever had in his career.

He is still nothing more than an average passing QB with elite running skills. The Chiefs secondary is going to lock your guys down and Lamar will have no options but to run and/or check down every play. Absolutely nobody is scared of him throwing the ball.

[smithandrew051]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

He’s 27 and just won the MVP with less rushing than ever in his life. He’s past the “freakish athleticism” stage of his career and better than ever.

Less rushing?

He’s averaging pretty close to the same number of attempts as his career average.

He had the 6th most attempts by a QB in NFL history this year.

[OneWinningDrive]

Originally Posted by Wisconsin_Chief

Umm, he threw for under 3,700 yards and 24 TD in 16 games with by far the best WR core he's ever had in his career.

He is still nothing more than an average passing QB with elite running skills. The Chiefs secondary is going to lock your guys down and Lamar will have no options but to run and/or check down every play. Absolutely nobody is scared of him throwing the ball.

Shoot, didn’t consider this. I stand corrected. Kudos.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by OneWinningDrive

Lamar doesn’t win on speed. His “athleticism” is actually a generational level ability to read defenders’ tendencies in the open field and exploit their leverage. It’s fundamentally a cognitive skill and not a physical one, although obviously the quick twitch/speed help.

10 year old kids on the football field can juke players.

I can juke people my age. Guaranteed.

Lamar's legs are his biggest threat.

[notorious]

Once again, ALL the pressure is on Baltimore.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Imagine paying $500 and chanting that ridiculously stupid chant only for Pat to go nuclear on that defense and for Spags to put Wonderlic boy in a vice

[mabbott]

Originally Posted by StalkRavenMad

I'll take it you didn't watch the game. They weren't any underbeath routes to throw to. Come out after half the 1st few passes he hit were underneath.

I just rewatched the first half and you are absolutely wrong! There were under routes, check downs, etc. You are lucky that it was the Texans defense doing those blitzes as most of them were ineffective and left wide open gaps for Lamar to run in.

If we only use the Texans game to measure how the Ravens will play, Lamar is going to get sacked 6 times and throw at least one pick.

In addition to that, your defense was vunerable in the middle all game and if you don't think that Mahomes is going to chew up!

This should be a good game, but you are clearly not being realistic if you think this is going to be a blow out. You are not going to dominate the Chiefs o-line with a four man rush.

[ReynardMuldrake]

Originally Posted by zapocalypse

Hey Chiefs fans. What's going on. Important questions from the opposition:

1. Are there more Chiefs fans in Kansas or Missouri?

2. Do you think Swift is packing heat and / or friends with / taking tips from Michelle Obama?

3. Do you think the NFL and KC has conspired with the 9th circle of hell to be gifted a trip to the SB, where a 3 hour loop of purposeful torture is to be unleashed onto the public, involving Pfizer and State Farm commercials>back with camera shots of Swift or Kelce bro shirtless>football, as part of a very meticulously scripted torture-suicide depopulation plan?

Thanks in advance for any insight.