Questionable Offensive Gameplan Dooms Ravens In Loss To Chiefs
Holding a Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs offense to just 17 points in the playoffs, including a shutout in the second half is nothing to scoff at.
But while the Baltimore Ravens' defense found a way to settle down and play like the unit that was the best in football, the same can't be said for the offense in a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium.
Lamar Jackson.
USA Today Sports
Baltimore had the best running game in the NFL in the regular season, averaging 156.5 yards per game. The same dominant rushing attack flexed its muscle in the AFC Divisional round when the Ravens ran all over the Houston Texans for 229 yards in a 34-10 win on Jan. 20.
Against the Chiefs, there wasn't even much of an attempt to get the running game going by offensive coordinator Todd Monken and head coach John Harbaugh. Baltimore only ran the ball 16 times for 84 yards.
It's one thing to negate the running game when you're down by two-plus scores and need to throw the ball to come back. The game never reached that point for the Ravens, as they never trailed by more than 10 points.
If there was an area of the Chiefs' defense that teams could exploit, it was their run defense. The Bills ran all over them, especially in the first half, as they ran 39 times for 182 yards and two touchdowns.
There wasn't even an attempt for Baltimore to get its run game going. You would have thought they were down by 20-plus points, and you wouldn't have thought the Ravens had the best rushing attack in the NFL.
The Bills ran Josh Allen at will against the Chiefs. There were few, if any, designed runs for Lamar Jackson, who ran the ball eight times for 54 yards.
Running backs Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, who combined for 1,197 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season, got six carries for 26 yards against the Chiefs.
The game allowed Baltimore to get back to its bread and butter on offense. Instead, it wanted Jackson to be Superman and win the game with his arm. And for as good as Jackson has been in his career in the regular season, the same notion that he can't come through in the playoffs proved true.
Jackson completed 20 of 37 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown and an egregious interception that got thrown into triple-coverage in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
But while Jackson will get plenty of hate for another attempt at a Super Bowl falling short, he wasn't put in a position to succeed because the Ravens didn't lean on the aspect of their offense that got them to the dance. For as much as Jackson has improved as a passer, his ability to run and the team's ability to run makes the entire offense go.
Not leaning on the best aspect of the offense is coaching malpractice by Harbaugh Monken. Instead, Baltimore squandered another No. 1 seed, and the notion that Jackson and the rest of the team can't perform in the playoffs will persist for at least another season.
