KANSAS CITY SUPER BOWL BOUND…

1) Steve Spagnuolo schemes up a gem. No personnel provided an solution for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense for a great deal of of the final two months, main most each person to imagine they’d proceed their march with one other spectacular exhibiting in the AFC Championship Sport. That message failed to reach the Chiefs defensive coordinator, who stuck to his signature, stress-heavy style and steered his protection to assault Jackson. Kansas City blitzed Jackson 20 instances and posted a stress rate of 37, sending rushers to enjoy each and every ranking away lane for Jackson and shutting down Baltimore’s vaunted offensive assault. The outcomes were fine: four sacks, 3 of 11 on third-down conversions, 10 total components allowed and a dominant exhibiting in time of possession in desire of the Chiefs (37:30 to 22:30). As a replace Jackson chopping thru Kansas City’s protection, the quarterback regarded misplaced for a great deal of of the game, none more so than when he tossed a pass into triple protection and had it picked off after all zone. The Chiefs simply don’t ranking this game with out the astonishing performance from their stellar protection, one other folks didn’t focus on enough coming into the weekend, and positively obtained’t gloss all but again in the following two weeks in Good Bowl LVIII in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers.

2) Travis Kelce: Master of the moment. Baltimore’s protection gave the look to be positioned to shut down Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City’s inconsistent offense, nonetheless no one accounted for Kelce’s postseason excellence. He used to be the Chiefs’ offense in the most indispensable half of, catching all 9 of his targets for 96 targets and a marvelous landing to rob an early lead. When Mahomes and the Chiefs wanted a giant play to support their early drives going, Kelce came thru on more than one occasions, making about a acrobatic catches to scamper the chains and finding at ease spots in Baltimore’s zone protection. He obtained his noteworthy-discussed matchups with security Kyle Hamilton and wasn’t vexed to manual the Chiefs on the side of his antagonistic demeanor, by no system shying from speaking trash (to the purpose that Kyle Van Noy used to be flagged for a inside most unfriendly whereas jawing with Kelce) and backing up his phrases on the side of his play. It used to be most attractive precise Kelce used to be the final participant to communicate on the celebratory podium after the game, one all the way thru which few gave his Chiefs higher than a combating probability. Kelce reveled in proving them irascible.

3) Todd Monken, Lamar Jackson flop on extensive stage. Baltimore’s offense set away Houston per week previously by pounding the Texans into submission through an unrelenting ground game, nonetheless on Sunday, it used to be nearly as if offensive coordinator Todd Monken left the working portion of his playbook at home. Out of doors of Jackson’s eight runs (which included scrambles), Baltimore ran the ball precise eight instances for 27 yards, abandoning the ingredient no topic trailing by no higher than 10 components in the course of this game. Even in evident working eventualities, Monken opted to pass, most continuously inexplicably so. Monken’s unbalanced system set some distance too noteworthy of the onus on Jackson’s shoulders in opposition to a protection designed with the intent to bother him, and the implications compelled a great deal of Ravens followers to defend their eyes. When Jackson missed about a downfield throws, their groans could very smartly be heard all around the contiguous United States. And when Jackson dropped to pass in an more and more determined fourth quarter, Kansas City could conveniently devote eight defenders to blanket each and every target with the working out it needn’t alarm the dash. Jackson had a harmful day, certain, nonetheless his offensive coordinator did him zero favors. Monken has somewhat a great deal of explaining to form after this one.

4) Ravens let down their protection. Baltimore’s protection surrendered an opening-pressure landing in opposition to an offense directed by a famend designer of scripts in Andy Reid, nonetheless in any other case, the Ravens did higher than enough to ranking on the defensive facet. They stood extensive in a unexpected-switch scheme back following a Jackson fumble deep in Ravens territory, and tiny the Chiefs to a discipline goal on one other pressure that regarded destined to achieve after all zone. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald recovered from a rough first half of by adjusting at halftime, and his unit gave up precise 98 yards and allowed the Chiefs to rework precise 3 of 8 third-down makes an try in the 2d half of, procuring Jackson and Co. a great deal of opportunities to counter when possessing the ball. Baltimore’s offense, though, simply didn’t lengthen its end of the slash mark. It used to be a massively disappointing witness for folks that expected Jackson to writer one other fearless performance and at final reach the Good Bowl, and as a replacement watched Monken’s offense fail them.

5) Championship pedigree powers Chiefs to victory. The Chiefs entered M&T Financial institution Stadium because the underdogs, nonetheless with a undeniable attitude. The defending Good Bowl champions weren’t about to lay down on the feet of the NFL’s most popular personnel, now not even in their building, and Kelce made that certain on the side of his now-viral disposal of Justin Tucker ‘s helmet in the course of pre-game warmups. That attitude carried over into the game, all the way thru which Kansas City made an announcement that it used to be aloof the king of the NFL with an opening pressure procure, and proved its set throughout the rest of the game, averting the crushing mistakes — each and every mental and physical — that doomed the Ravens and making certain it would now not be dethroned by an upstart. The trophy presentation afterward felt a tiny bit muted, presumably on fable of of the venue, nonetheless came to a becoming end when Kelce took the mic and recited the smartly-identified Beastie Boys lyrics: “You gotta fight, on your precise, to celebration!” Chiefs followers are partying all but again in mountainous share on fable of their franchise has been right here prior to and knew the categorical option to ranking the job done.

NFL Evaluation: With 11 catches for 116 yards and a landing, Travis Kelce ranks first in playoff receptions, is tied for first in 100-plus-yard receiving video games in the postseason, and trails most attractive Pro Soccer Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in receiving yards (1,810) and receiving touchdowns (19) in the playoffs.

Next Gen stat of the game: Travis Kelce caught plus-3.5 receptions over expected Sunday, his most in a game since Week 13 of the 2018 season. Kelce caught all three of his targets for 39 yards and a landing in matchups in opposition to Ravens security Kyle Hamilton.