On Sunday, January 29th, the Baltimore Ravens took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. This matchup determined the AFC Super Bowl contender.
1st Half
The game began with a stop by the Kansas City Chiefs defense forcing a Baltimore 3-and-out. Within three plays, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were able to move the ball 25 yards with two quick passes. This play was followed by a 10-yard rush by Isiah Pacheco. Three plays later, on 4th-and-2, Travis Kelce caught a 13-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Later in the drive, Travis Kelce caught a 19-yard touchdown pass to put the Chiefs up 7-0. The Ravens opened the following drive with a 9-yard pass to Mark Andrews followed by a run for 20-yards by Lamar Jackson. Gus Edwards followed this play with a 15-yard rush putting the Ravens at the Kansas City 30-yard line. In the following drive, Lamar Jackson evaded a sack and threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers to tie up the game 7-7. The next drive, Patrick Mahomes found Rashee Rice for a gain of 13 yards followed by a pass to Travis Kelce to gain a first down in the following play. A couple of plays into the second quarter, the Chiefs were faced with a 3rd-and-5 at the 27-yard line. Patrick Mahomes escaped the pressure within the pocket and found Travis Kelce for a diving catch of 11 yards.
In the following drives, Isaiah Pacheco scored a 3 yard touchdown run to put the Chiefs up 14-7. On the next drive, after a Ravens first down, the Chiefs Charles Omenihu sacked Lamar Jackson causing a fumble. This fumble was swiftly recovered by the Chiefs putting them in great field position. The Chiefs slowly progressed down the field, working to take time off the clock, before being faced with a 4th-and-1. The Ravens received the ball back in the following drive. On 2nd-and-5, Lamar Jackson’s pass was tipped up in the air but caught by himself for a gain of 13 yards. However, the Ravens drive was short lived as they were forced to punt the ball back. After a defensive penalty, the Chiefs resumed their drive at the 50-yard line. Travis Kelce went on to catch a 21-yard pass with less than 40 seconds remaining in the half. After a couple of offensive penalties, the Chiefs settled for a field goal. Harrison Butker scored a 52-yard field goal putting the Chiefs up 17-7 going into the half.
2nd Half
The Chiefs received the ball in the second half, up by 10 points. Starting off hot, Isaiah Pacheco ran a 17-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to Noah Gray. This momentum, however, was short lived as the Chiefs were stopped by the Ravens defense forcing a 4th-and-19. The Ravens got the ball back where Lamar Jackson threw a 16-yard pass to Gus Edwards to get the drive started. On the next play, Lamar Jackson quickly scrambled out of the pocket for an 11-yard gain. However, the Ravens drive was short lived as the Chiefs defense forced a 4th-and-9. Later in the game, the Ravens got fired up with Lamar Jackson throwing a 55-yard bomb to Zay Flowers. However, the Ravens lost 15 yards due to a taunting penalty. Zay Flowers got the ball back two plays later and gained 14 yards to put the Ravens in the red zone. Following these plays, Zay Flowers got the ball but fumbled while diving across the goal line. This was a controversial call but was ultimately ruled a fumble recovered by the Chiefs. The Chiefs had a short run with the ball before giving the ball back to the Ravens. Following the punt, the Ravens took this drive from the 1-yard line hoping to get some points to stay in the game. To get off the goal line, Lamar Jackson threw a 10-yard pass to Isaiah Likely. The Ravens continued to drive down the field before converting a 4th-and-3 on their own 20-yard line to keep this drive alive. A few plays later, Lamar Jackson threw a 39-yard pass to Nelson Agholor to put them on the Chiefs 25. Two plays later, Lamar Jackson threw into triple coverage where the ball was intercepted by Chiefs’ Deon Bush. However, the Ravens defense fought back, leading to another defensive stop on the Chiefs’ offense. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens took the ball down field to the 50-yard line before driving to the 25. However, the Ravens were faced with a 4th-and-5 with 2:42 left in the game. The Ravens chose to kick a field goal made by Justin Tucker leading to a score of 17-10.
The Chiefs received the ball back only needing a 1st down to go to the Super Bowl. After a couple of penalties, the Chiefs were faced with a 3rd-and-9. If they chose to convert, they had the chance to go to the Super Bowl. With the Super Bowl and AFC Championship on the line, on 3rd-and-9, Patrick Mahomes threw a 32-yard pass to Marquez Valdez-Scantling sealing the Chiefs’ Super Bowl fate. The Chiefs won the AFC Championship 17-10 and will be up against the San Francisco 49rs for the second time at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.
