In the wake of the Ravens’ 17-10 loss in the AFC championship game, experts and fans alike have asked a basic question: Did the Ravens panic? Did they lose their way on offense after giving up two early touchdowns and falling behind 14-7?
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce thinks so.
Speaking on the “New Heights” podcast that Kelce does with his brother Jason, Travis Kelce said the Ravens’ offensive approach after falling behind played right into the Chiefs’ hands.
The Chiefs opened the game with two long, sustained touchdown drives to take a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. After that, though, the Ravens’ defense stiffened, allowing just three points in the final 40 minutes, none after halftime.
But the Ravens could never rally to close the gap, undone by three turnovers. Lamar Jackson lost a fumble, Zay Flowers lost a fumble as he tried to dive to the end zone early in the fourth quarter, and then Jackson threw an interception into triple coverage.
Jackson finished 20-for-37 for 272 yards but struggled to get into any rhythm in the passing game. The Chiefs blitzed Jackson aggressively, and he was sacked four times. His lone touchdown pass, a 30-yard throw to Flowers, came after he wiggled out of a near sack, but he was under duress much of the game.
Despite never trailing by more than 10 points, and despite having no answer for that Chiefs pressure, the Ravens and offensive coordinator Todd Monken all but abandoned their league-best running game.
In the regular season, the Ravens ranked No. 1 in the league with 156.5 rushing yards a game, and ranked third with 4.92 yards per carry. The Chiefs defense ranked 18th against the run and allowed 4.46 yards per carry, which ranked 24th in the league. In the divisional round, Buffalo had rushed for 182 yards against the Chiefs.
Speaking on the podcast, Jason Kelce said, “This was my thing, and I think everybody’s thing going into the game: Can [the Chiefs] stop the Ravens rushing attack? That’s the key.”
Yet after falling behind, the Ravens’ ground game basically went missing. The Ravens finished the game with 16 carries for 81 yards, with much of that coming on scrambles by Jackson. He finished with eight carries for 54 yards.
Ravens running backs totaled just six carries for 23 yards, with just two carries after halftime.
Travis Kelce said that they hoped if the Ravens fell behind, they’d try to throw their way back into the game and leave the running game behind.
“We knew if we put up touchdowns, it was going to force their offense to feel a little bit antsy and a little bit pressed to get the ball downfield,” he said. “That’s what we wanted. We wanted to see what our DBs and their wideouts looked like.”
Ultimately, the Chiefs liked what they saw there, which is why they are moving on to the Super Bowl, and the Ravens are left to ponder what might have been with one of the strongest teams in franchise history.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox