Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs took a different route to face the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game.
They’re going on the road.
After hosting this game five straight seasons, the No. 3 seed Chiefs had to beat Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo and now travel to Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (13-6) are looking for their third Super Bowl title in five years and are trying to become the first team to repeat since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots did it in the 2003-04 seasons.
They have to get there first.
Standing in their way are the No. 1 seed Ravens, who have played their best against tough opponents. The Ravens (14-4) had 11 wins over winning teams, including nine by at least 14 points.
The Chiefs shut down Tua Tagovailoa and Miami’s potent offense in the wild-card round and sneaked past the Bills in Mahomes’ first career playoff game on the road.
The Ravens rolled to a 34-10 win over Houston after enjoying a first-round bye. They’re 3 1/2-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
WHEN THE CHIEFS HAVE THE BALL
The Chiefs had the league’s sixth-ranked passing offense behind Mahomes and 19th-ranked rushing attack. The Ravens gave up the fewest points per game (16.5) and were sixth against the pass and 14th against the run.
Mahomes is a magician and what he’s been able to do without a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver has been impressive. The two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP threw for 4,183 yards with 27 touchdowns, a career-high 14 interceptions and career-low 92.6 passer rating. His receivers dropped 44 passes, most in the league.
Mahomes’ go-to option still is tight end Travis Kelce. The Ravens have All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton to match up against Kelce so rookie wideout Rashee Rice, veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney, if he’s healthy, need to step up.
Kelce had 93 catches for 984 yards and five TDs in the regular season and caught two scores last week in Buffalo. Rice had 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven TDs.
The Chiefs will rely on running back Isiah Pacheco to balance the offense. He ran for 935 yards and seven TDs in the regular season, and had 97 yards on 15 carries with one TD against the Bills last week. Baltimore’s front seven led by All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, LB Patrick Queen and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike held Houston to 38 yards rushing last week and kept nine teams under 100 this season.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid is one of the NFL’s all-time great offensive innovators and he’s been known to add a few new wrinkles in big games. Injured All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney will force Reid to make some adjustments to the game plan. Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald has become a hot candidate for head coaching positions after Baltimore’s defense became the first in NFL history to lead the league in fewest points allowed, sacks and turnovers.
