During the week leading up to the AFC Championship game, most of the attention was on Kansas City’s offense. How will QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense fare against the best defense we’ve seen? baltimore ravens?
The Chiefs defense saw all that attention and matched it with the phrase “In Spags We Trust,” which was worn on the shirts of many Chiefs defense players after the game.
The Chiefs’ defense was the star of the show in Kansas City’s 17-10 AFC Championship win over Baltimore. They held the Ravens to -0.20 EPA per play and a 28% first down rate, and they frustrated the Ravens offense so much that someone threw a helmet every time the camera panned to the Baltimore sideline. The Chiefs forced the Ravens to play their style of game and forced Baltimore to make mistakes left and right. The way they do it is very impressive and it starts with their play on the back end.
Lamar Jackson had a tough game Sunday, and much of that was due to the sticky coverage of the Chiefs’ secondary. His 3.34 average pitching time was the best of any player participating in the conference title game and would have been the best of any of his QBs this season. So many plays were attacking downfield, but nothing was open to try and attack. Charles Omenihu’s strip-sack of Jackson in the first half was a perfect example of the Chiefs cutting off all water downfield and allowing pressure to create big plays at key moments.
Kansas City collides with Zay Flowers’ motion, and with this burst motion the Ravens run the dagger from there on an off-play action. The Chiefs know this too, and what they do is keep buzzing defenders right near the window where the dagger route opens. This forces Jackson to hold onto the ball longer and force him to go to the backside, but by then Omenihu is there and forces a turnover.
This play really felt like a microcosm of what the Ravens worked on Sunday. Spags and the Chiefs defense kept changing the question as soon as the Ravens thought they had the answer (shout out to Roddy Piper). Chiefs CB Rajarius Snead is aligned in his press position, and the three safeties on the field are playing fairly low, making this look like man coverage. Baltimore has a slant-flat option to the backside against the man if Lamar wants it. But the Chiefs’ kaleidoscope has changed, with Snead falling flat as a quarter-quarter-half defender. Even if this throw is caught, Hill will be popped by Snead for no gain. The Chiefs had all the answers and forced the Ravens into the game.
Once the Chiefs started limiting the Ravens offense, we saw Baltimore start forcing problems. Jackson was looking to break things downfield, but without the threat of the run game and quick game, that just wasn’t going to happen. The offense was one-dimensional, which worked to the Chiefs’ advantage.
I think Lamar was trying to get something open downfield during the game.If you choose not to run the ball (which is still shocking to me) and don’t play a quick game, you basically become a one-trick pony, which puts a strain on both the offense and the QB. pic.twitter.com/uW7ifuVuW1
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) January 29, 2024
What stood out most about the Chiefs was their physical strength in Sunday’s game against Baltimore. The Ravens bullied every team they played this year and were able to crush them offensively. The Chiefs forced the issue, using their customary blitz to beat the Ravens up front and force Jackson out of the game. For this pressure, the Chiefs bring in Nick Bolton and Trent McDuffie and put playman coverage behind them. In theory, this is a good thing for the Ravens, but they only get walked by McDuffie’s good rushing and Chris Jones’ insane strength. Now that the ball has nowhere to go, Jackson has to get it dirty.
But this was my favorite play from the Chiefs defense. This is great team defense against the run. Kansas City wants to stay in a two-high shell against Baltimore’s pimples, so it’s important for the front to spill these pullers. That means hitting them with your outside shoulder to get the ball carrier to the edge where you have a numbers advantage. you. This should be a big play for Baltimore, as this motion draws all backers into stacked alignment. But LB Drew Tranquil spills a block, keeps Bolton free with a nose tackle, and S Justin Reed jumps off the roof with a strong run fit. This is elite team defense.
As the Chiefs prepare for the Super Bowl in San Francisco against another dynamic team, all eyes will be on Spagnuolo and the Chiefs defense that has become the backbone of this team over the past few years.
