Let's Talk About Baltimore (AFC Championship)

[SHOWTIME]

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

[dannybcaitlyn]

Chris Jones can earn another million by winning this game. He’s going to give that oline hell.

[IowaHawkeyeChief]

Originally Posted by DRM08

Justin Watson dropped a perfect throw on 3rd down that would have gained 20 yards and a 1st down at the Buffalo 10 yard line. Butker made a very clutch FG into a tough wind from 47 yards (more like a 60 yarder). Watson’s drop made it a tough situation on the kicker. The dropped ball potentially cost them 4 points since they could have scored a TD on that drive.

Hardman obviously had the 7 point fumble mistake. But he also had an earlier fumble that completely wasted a play inside the Buffalo 10 yard line. Pretty much killed the drive. Thankfully Watson recovered this fumble to save 3 points, but maybe they score a TD on this drive if Andy simply does not give the ball to Hardman. Potentially 11 points lost on cutesy trick play BS with Hardman.

Bottom line is they could have easily scored over 40 points in that game. The other room for improvement is the rushing defense. They got pushed around for 3 quarters and it was nowhere near their best game defensively.

But Buffalo had a lot of those “what if” plays as well. So I guess it evens out. Lol

This was by design, didn't want to get beat by Josh's arma and trade FGs for TDs with our offense humming against their beat up D. Josh made two crazy throws and great catches by their WR's for a TD and a first down at the 1 on 3rd and long, or it would have been worse. When Spags needed to tighten, he tightened.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by dannybcaitlyn

Chris Jones can earn another million by winning this game. He’s going to give that oline hell.

Not to be underestimated.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by digger

You'd have to sign up to get banned

I was MightyMike for a bit and then vented at BL after seeing him shouting into the void several times and making completely false statements about this place.... and then I logged out and didn't care enough to see if it was responded to or deleted or whatever.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ThyKingdomCome15

Looks like Ravens are getting Mark Andrews back. That's a big one.

Likely is good.

If a rusty Andrews takes snaps from Likely, that's a positive.

Now if Andrews takes snaps from Nelson Agholor and they grind us up with 12 personnel, that's not ideal. But they haven't had those two on the field together a lot and Likely isn't really a plus blocker at this stage of his career so it may not be the time to lean into those packages.

We'll see. If Andrews is a problem, Likely would've been as well. It will be a scheme problem more than a personnel mismatch.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by dannybcaitlyn

Chris Jones can earn another million by winning this game. He’s going to give that oline hell.

He's been making business decisions all year on run downs and early parts of the game, so hopefully we get full gear Chris this week.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by IowaHawkeyeChief

This was by design, didn't want to get beat by Josh's arma and trade FGs for TDs with our offense humming against their beat up D. Josh made two crazy throws and great catches by their WR's for a TD and a first down at the 1 on 3rd and long, or it would have been worse. When Spags needed to tighten, he tightened.

Yeah, I thought the Bills' game plan was pretty good and really tough to defend.... they used all 50 yards horizontally and basically had an extended running game on both sidelines and up the middle to defend, and still had to respect hero ball and Allen taking off.

And with how they were getting blockers out to help with the quick screens and then using those blockers to rugby push forward... it's tough to defend.

As a defense, you aren't going to simply say you're defending all of that all the time, and it takes time to adjust to their script.

Just like every other "scary" running team ever, you let them run the ball and don't get sucked into it too much.... there's no "establishing the run" and "gotta stop the run"... you just can't let it get out of hand to the point the offense is picking up first downs on 1st and 2nd downs (happened on 2 drives last weekend). You still have to make enough early down stops to force them into passing downs, then defend those without letting Allen run wild.

Let them take 13 plays to march down the field.. it's what all defenses do these days. People get pissed early in games when "they're running right down our throats!" and then they settle for a FG and everything is okay again. Rinse, repeat.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by dannybcaitlyn

Chris Jones can earn another million by winning this game. He’s going to give that oline hell.

Excellent… just need a maximum motivated Chris Jones for two more games.

[smithandrew051]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Likely is good.

If a rusty Andrews takes snaps from Likely, that's a positive.

Now if Andrews takes snaps from Nelson Agholor and they grind us up with 12 personnel, that's not ideal. But they haven't had those two on the field together a lot and Likely isn't really a plus blocker at this stage of his career so it may not be the time to lean into those packages.

We'll see. If Andrews is a problem, Likely would've been as well. It will be a scheme problem more than a personnel mismatch.

Every time I watched Likely play, he made 2-3 big plays at a key moment.

Then I check his stats, and they’re pretty pedestrian. I must have seen every big play he made.

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Excellent… just need a maximum motivated Chris Jones for two more games.

If you can't be motivated playing in the championship game to go to the SB, you're in the wrong profession

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by smithandrew051

Every time I watched Likely play, he made 2-3 big plays at a key moment.

Then I check his stats, and they’re pretty pedestrian. I must have seen every big play he made.

He's super raw.

Nobody remembers Antonio Gates rookie year, but he didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. Likey was kinda like that - just very raw but an incredible physical talent. I'd friggen love to have had him here to learn behind Kelce.

When the lights come on for him, he'll make everyone forget about Mark Andrews, IMO. He could be the league's next superstar TE.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

Yeah, I thought the Bills' game plan was pretty good and really tough to defend.... they used all 50 yards horizontally and basically had an extended running game on both sidelines and up the middle to defend, and still had to respect hero ball and Allen taking off.

And with how they were getting blockers out to help with the quick screens and then using those blockers to rugby push forward... it's tough to defend.

As a defense, you aren't going to simply say you're defending all of that all the time, and it takes time to adjust to their script.

Just like every other "scary" running team ever, you let them run the ball and don't get sucked into it too much.... there's no "establishing the run" and "gotta stop the run"... you just can't let it get out of hand to the point the offense is picking up first downs on 1st and 2nd downs (happened on 2 drives last weekend). You still have to make enough early down stops to force them into passing downs, then defend those without letting Allen run wild.

Let them take 13 plays to march down the field.. it's what all defenses do these days. People get pissed early in games when "they're running right down our throats!" and then they settle for a FG and everything is okay again. Rinse, repeat.

It it just far easier to throw the ball to RBs out of the backfield than I realize or have we simply sucked at defending that for 25 years? Do we maybe NOT suck at defending it now and it's Bootleg PTSD?

Crazy to me that we constantly get gashed by the same thing. Then again, my memory is that the Ravens system doesn't really throw to the RBs very much. Gotta figure they'll go to the TEs and Flowers from the slot a lot on play fakes as a proxy for those RB throws.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It it just far easier to throw the ball to RBs out of the backfield than I realize or have we simply sucked at defending that for 25 years? Do we maybe NOT suck at defending it now and it's Bootleg PTSD?

Crazy to me that we constantly get gashed by the same thing. Then again, my memory is that the Ravens system doesn't really throw to the RBs very much. Gotta figure they'll go to the TEs and Flowers from the slot a lot on play fakes as a proxy for those RB throws.

I dunno, there were times this year, like the Eagles game, where they were practically in the Eagles' huddle, sniffing out every play and knowing what they were doing before they did it (and then of course everyone else figured it out (except the Bills)).... and then games like last week where they were a step slow for 2.5-3 quarters and the offense looks unstoppable.

I thought the Bills did a good job of getting the ball out quickly and outnumbering the defense, and then had some misdirection and RPO type of stuff, too. And then when they really needed a play, Allen would figure it out with a lateral or that touchdown pass to the pylon. Definitely not dismissing the plays where they'd fall forward for 8 yards after contact or would completely leave a guy out of the backfield uncovered.

The worst of it for the defense probably comes down to the defensive line needing to blow up shit before it starts, and this week needing closer to a burrowhead level of effort from them.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

If I’m Spagnuolo this is the game plan. Lock the Everyone 1 on 1 on outside and put as many man in the box. If Lamar beats you throwing I can live with that but letting his beat you with his feet is unacceptable.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Mark Andrews is officially back.