Four Takeaways From the KC Chiefs' 17-10 Win Over the Baltimore Ravens
The Kansas City Chiefs' AFC Championship Game outing against the Baltimore Ravens is in the books. Patrick Mahomes and company participated in their sixth conference title game in a row, albeit their first on the road together. In front of a packed crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, though, Baltimore's home advantage didn't matter. Many fans ended up going home on a sour note.
Behind some first-half production on offense and another quality performance on defense, the Chiefs secured a 17-10 victory. With this win, they've also punched their tickets to Super Bowl LVIII. The roller coaster of a season continues for Kansas City, and it's guaranteed to not come to an end for a couple of weeks.
With that in mind, here are four takeaways from Sunday's game.
Keeping the Ravens' offense off the field was a huge plus in the first half
In the Divisional Round, the Buffalo Bills did their best to keep the Chiefs' offense off the field in the opening half of play. This weekend, it was Kansas City who executed that style of game to perfection to kick things off. Reid's team held possession of the football for a staggering 20:39 out of 30 first-half minutes, giving Baltimore just 9:21 on a handful of drives.
A relatively smooth operation on offense to start was a major reason why. The Chiefs opened the game with 10- and 16-play drives, elapsing just under 15 minutes between them. Containing 14 passes and 12 runs, it was a well-balanced attack. On the other side of the ball, Steve Spagnuolo's unit forced the Ravens into a pair of three-and-outs. Aside from a broken-play touchdown from Jackson to Zay Flowers, the defense was effective. One of the best natural defenses for an explosive offense is to simply get them off the field and keep them on the sideline. It worked and fueled the first half for the visitors.
The Mahomes-to-Kelce duo was alive and well
Just in time for the postseason, Mahomes and Travis Kelce elevated their play and resembled their best selves. Between Wild Card Weekend and the Divisional Round, Kansas City's superstar quarterback played extremely clean football and Kelce logged games of 71 and 75 receiving yards while scoring two touchdowns last week. Those trends continued and allowed the Chiefs to set the tone on Sunday afternoon.
In the first half of play, Mahomes completed a scorching 20 of 25 passes. Kelce converted on all nine of his targets, amassing 96 receiving yards and getting a nice touchdown against Kyle Hamilton. He also passed Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice for the most career receptions in postseason history. Through the end of Sunday's game, it was a "turn back the clock" performance to earlier this season and a reminder of what this duo can accomplish. The production wasn't equal in both halves, although it didn't need to be.
The Chiefs of old showed up in the second half
During the regular season, the Chiefs built an identity as a team that shot itself in the foot on offense but got timely stops on the defensive side. Through two playoff games, the offense was able to put up some inspired performances that led many to believe it turned a corner. Through two drives in the conference title game, that really seemed to be the case. Following a field goal late in the first half, though, Reid and Matt Nagy's group stalled out quite often. Kansas City reverted to its old ways in the second half.
On five consecutive drives coming out of the locker room, the Chiefs punted the ball. On two of those possessions, offensive line miscues helped cut the series short. Luckily for the road team, the defense was tremendous for the most part. A Flowers explosive play gave Baltimore some new life, but L'Jarius Sneed's punch-out at the goal line killed any lingering momentum. Deon Bush also stepped up with a critical interception in the end zone. This was a regular season type of Chiefs win.
Kansas City is going back to the Super Bowl
If you looked at this very Chiefs team following a Week 14 loss to the Buffalo Bills or a Week 16 defeat at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders, you may not have considered it a sure-fire Super Bowl contender. This writer certainly didn't. There were several points during the year that showed some on-field character most wouldn't believe to be ideal for a championship-winning team. Teams typically show consistent flashes of peaking before the postseason, not during it. With that said, Kansas City managed to flip the switch and is reaping the rewards as a result.
Sometimes, having a championship core in place matters enough to outweigh every factor working against it. Despite elements like untimely offensive line mistakes, wide receiver miscues and general inconsistency popping up for weeks on end, the Chiefs have a chance to go back-to-back. En route to the biggest game of the season, they will have dispatched three of the biggest perceived threats to them in the process. That accomplishment is something to hang your hat on, especially considering how the last few months have gone. The Chiefs organization simply knows what to do in the playoffs. Sunday was additional proof.
