KC Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens: AFC Championship Game Preview and Predictions
It's another win-or-go-home game for the Kansas City Chiefs, this time with a trip to the Super Bowl hanging in the balance.
The Baltimore Ravens are hosts for Sunday's AFC Championship Game in a matchup between two of the most talented teams in the league. Kansas City and Baltimore have clashed in some epic outings over the years, although none with the stakes as high as they are this time around.
The Chiefs are hoping that reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes can help guide Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's offense to victory. On the other side of the ball, Steve Spagnuolo's defense will be tasked with slowing down likely 2023-24 MVP Lamar Jackson — certainly not an easy task. It's an afternoon game at M&T Bank Stadium, and one that will have the football world eagerly awaiting a thrilling outcome.
How will Sunday's game unfold? The Arrowhead Report crew makes their predictions.
Joshua Brisco: Leading up to the Chiefs’ games against the Dolphins and Bills, the injury reports favored KC. Both opposing defenses had exploitable issues that gave the Chiefs matchup advantages they won’t have against Baltimore. I think the Chiefs’ defense will hold its own and Patrick Mahomes has earned every possible benefit of the doubt, but the Ravens are more likely to capitalize on the types of mistakes that plagued the Chiefs’ regular season. With no margin for error, I worry that Kansas City’s year will end how it began: in a close loss that comes down to one mistake or one missed opportunity.
Prediction: Ravens 23, Chiefs 20
Jordan Foote: I'm echoing some of Joshua's sentiments. Rolling with the Ravens here, but it's not at all an indictment on Mahomes. The best player in the sport will perform as well as he can, but the Chiefs have a multi-month sample size of shooting themselves in the foot just enough to lose close games. Their two most recent games may not be the most predictive. That, combined with being on the road and also playing a team that's objectively been better this year, doesn't inspire a ton of confidence in a Kansas City win. It's certainly possible — it'd be foolish to count out the reigning champs — but this feels like a fitting end to a roller coaster of a season.
Prediction: Ravens 24, Chiefs 23
Mark Van Sickle: Despite the offensive fireworks we’ve seen in the past between the Chiefs and Ravens when Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson face off, this could end up being a defensive battle. Both teams have been stellar defensively all season. By most metrics on offense, defense and special teams, the Ravens have the edge. The Ravens even have the likely NFL MVP as their quarterback. However, they don’t have the reigning Super Bowl MVP on their team and that is something that can not be ignored or denied. Playoff Patrick can do things that can not be explained, and beating a team that seemingly has advantages all over the field to get back to another Super Bowl seems like the next step in his already stellar resume. Las Vegas, here we come!
Prediction: Chiefs 23, Ravens 20
Zack Eisen: Another week on the road in the playoffs for the Chiefs, this time to go to the Super Bowl back-to-back years. The Ravens have been touted as the best team in the league throughout the season and have blown out teams on their way to this spot. Many people are taking the Ravens, but I refuse to bet against the best player ever in this spot. At this point, games like this probably don’t faze Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. I expect the Chiefs to add to the pressure on Baltimore early with a masterful opening script on offense and Steve Spagnuolo blitzing the Ravens’ offense often. This game plan leads the Chiefs back to the Super Bowl.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Ravens 19
