Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson is just one of the AFC championship storylines.
There seems to be a playoff game in the early rounds every year that is more appropriate for the Super Bowl. That game is the AFC championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Regarding quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are the best of their generation. The two greatest players of their generation, if Aaron Donald has any words to say. The quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens is the overwhelming favorite to earn his second NFL MVP award this season, but the quarterback for Kansas City took home the trophy last year. Each has a formidable defense and an excellent supporting group.
Oh, and this place also has history. In their first four matchups, Mahomes has outperformed Jackson, with the Chiefs winning three of them. Still, the Ravens’ lone victory? It happened during their final game, which took place in Baltimore in 2021. A trip to the Super Bowl is at stake as they now reunite.
Jarrett Bell: Let’s say the Chiefs can’t beat Baltimore without Mahomes and Maauto (Kelce) connecting like old times. But it’s going to take more than that for Kansas City to secure another trip to the Super Bowl. But it’s going to be a much tougher matchup. Kansas City exploited a Buffalo defense that was seriously depleted at linebacker, including the absence of emerging linebacker Terrel Bernard. The Ravens, on the other hand, bring linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen (who cover as well as they attack the run), backed by star safety Kyle Hamilton. None of that is good for Kelce. Still, It was so significant that Kelce scored two TDs at Buffalo — his first multi-touchdown game of the season — as it was a sign that the tight end is healthier than he’s been all season. The connection has been off for the bulk of the campaign, with Kelce hampered by an assortment of injuries that began with a hyper-extended knee that kept him out of the season-opening loss against Detroit. Before Sunday, Kelce had gone seven games in a row without a touchdown and scored just once in 10 games. His five TDs during the regular season were his fewest in four years. So, yeah, the Chiefs need their best player (Mahomes) to be able to lean on his favorite target to stand any chance of pulling off an upset. And it still might not be enough.
Chris Bumbaca: Did it ever really go away? Kelce didn’t have a 1,000-yard year for the first time in seven seasons, but he was 16 yards away. There were certainly games it felt like Kelce disappeared. But the play of the Chiefs’ wideouts has been well-documented, and the assessment is that the room didn’t fare well for much of the regular season. Opposing defenses allocated more resources to defending the All-Pro tight end. This is a case of two all-time greats raising their game when it matters most.
Nate Davis: Mahomes and his favorite target certainly seemed to re-establish their famous mind meld in Sunday’s win at Buffalo, hooking up for a pair of touchdowns — and giving the duo a playoff-record 16 together. But don’t necessarily assume that will continue against a Baltimore defense that surrendered the fewest points in the league this season and didn’t give up an offensive touchdown to the Texans in the divisional round. More relevant, Kelce will likely have to deal with Roquan Smith and/or Patrick Queen, arguably the league’s best linebacker duo, covering him a week after the Bills were searching for one healthy body at that position. Further, Kelce will also likely draw All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, who is huge (6-4, 220), quick, and might be even more suffocating in coverage. Could mean a massively significant difference in production.
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