AFC Championship Comes to Baltimore

January 3, 1971. Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland.

It was 34 degrees with relative humidity at 68%, 6 mph winds producing a wind chill of 28 degrees. The Baltimore Colts hosted the Oakland Raiders in the very first AFC Championship Game. The visitors were 1 ½ point favorites. The winner would travel to Miami to represent the new American Football Conference in Super Bowl V.

The Colts would go on to beat the Raiders and win the conference championship, 27-17 and eventually capture the World Championship two weeks later, defeating the Cowboys, 16-13. With their win on Saturday against the Texans, the Ravens will host the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium, a first for the city of Baltimore in 53 years. That represents the biggest gap for a city to host the crowning of the new AFC Champ.

It’s been a long-time coming. And now, #RavensFlock has an opportunity to do something that generations of fans have longed for. FINALLY!

The Ravens have had their fair share of chances in the past to host this celebrated game. In 2006, the Steve McNair led Ravens (13-3) looked like the team to beat in the AFC. But they stumbled against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at The Bank, 15-6. Had they won, the Ravens, 4-point favorites, would have hosted the Patriots, probably as favorites, and then perhaps they would have gone on to play Rex Grossman and the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl 41.

In 2019, the (14-2) Ravens hosted the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round and completely soiled the bed. The Ravens blew another opportunity to host the AFCCG, losing in embarrassing fashion to Derrick Henry & Co., by the score of 28-12. So it should surprise no one that the team and its fans suffer from a little PTSD given the utterly bitter disappointment of 2019.

When things didn’t start out so well for the Ravens offense in the first half of Saturday’s game, all of the criticisms aimed at Lamar Jackson and his past playoff struggles began to manifest themselves into present concerns. Were we about to experience more of the same?

No!

The Ravens went into the locker room at half, tied 10-10, cleansed their minds and reset their collective focus on the second half which they would soon dominate.

The dream to host that elusive AFCCG is now a reality, Baltimore. It’s time to take care of Mahomes, the Chiefs and a world of Swifties. But until then, let’s get to the Good, Bad & Ugly from Saturday afternoon.

The Good

After a sluggish start before halftime, the Ravens O-line got their act together and controlled the line of scrimmage. Standouts were Kevin Zeitler, Morgan Moses and Ronnie Stanley. Before the break the Ravens had 118 yards of offense – 95 by ground and a paltry 23 by air. In the second half the Ravens had 234 net yards of offense, 134 by ground and another 100 by air…Justice Hill was explosive running the ball even when the Texans sold out to stop the run. Hill had 66 yards on 13 carries, a career high…Gus Edwards chipped in with 40 tough yards while Dalvin Cook made his Ravens debut with 23 yards, including a 19-yard scamper.

Isaiah Likely continues to make splash plays. His two catches went for a score and a big first down during the Ravens first possession of the second half. The 19-yard catch and run set the Ravens up with a first down on Houston’s 27-yard line. They would later score…Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman presented well in the second half coming up with key receptions to extend drives.

.@Ravens @Lj_era8 the “Pompano Floater”. Hard to stop that run action. MVP pic.twitter.com/UEZmtoU5iR

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 20, 2024

Earlier this season the Ravens kept the Texans offense out of the end zone, holding them to just 3 field goals. On Saturday, they limited C.J. Stroud & Co. to 3 points and 213 net yards. It was even worse for the Texans after the break.

Lamar Jackson was incredible in the second half. But so too was the #Ravens defense. Check out these 2nd half defensive stats:

Held Texans to:

🟣68 net yards of offense
⚫️4 first downs
🟣Deepest penetration: Ravens 43
⚫️19 total plays
🟣 Time of possession: 9:43 pic.twitter.com/Viz3SKxP79

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) January 21, 2024

And while the Ravens didn’t register a sack or produce a turnover, they disrupted Stroud throughout, forcing him off schedule and into check downs or just throwing the ball away to avoid a sack…The Texans of late depend on explosive plays. The Ravens diffused such opportunities throughout the contest…Justin Madubuike, Michael Pierce, Broderick Washington and Jadeveon Clowney were all forces across the defensive front…Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith were fast to fill running lanes. Add it all up and the Ravens didn’t just make the Texans one-dimensional. They made them NO dimensional, particularly in the second half.

Devin Singletary had averaged 4.5+ ypc in 8 of his previous 10 games. Low was 2.6 vs IND in Week 18.

Vs Ravens? 2.4. pic.twitter.com/TLKaJdVM82

— Russell St. Report (@RussellStReport) January 22, 2024

On the back end, the Ravens defense wasn’t tested but the biggest contributors, Marcus Williams, Arthur Maulet, Ronald Darby and Geno Stone were all standouts in the secondary. Williams protected the back end, Maulet was aggressive in the slot and from 15 yards from the LOS. He also forced a hurry from Stroud. Stone made an incredible play to blow up a Texans gadget play that could have changed the game’s momentum.

The Texans had this Flea Flicker Throwback Screen set up…

Unbelievable play by Geno Stone! pic.twitter.com/PiznSYgus0

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) January 20, 2024

Didn't look pretty, but that was going to be a big play for the Texans if one of the three OL had managed to block Geno Stone. pic.twitter.com/hBts6tlctD

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 20, 2024

Darby has been a pleasant surprise and is playing some really good football. That bodes well for the team, particularly if they can get Marlon Humphrey back in the mix this Sunday.

Despite some challenging conditions, Justin Tucker nailed both FGA’s, from 53 and 43, respectively. What a weapon to have in these critically important games when even the slightest miscue represents opportunity for a formidable opponent.

There is one single stat that in a nutshell, tells the story of this game. Red Zone Efficiency. The Ravens were 4 for 5 in the red. The Texans – wait for it, were 0 for 0.

And now you know the rest of the story.

The Bad

Just as many had feared, the Ravens offense in the first half was completely out of synch. They failed to adequately address the Texans’ blitz packages while Lamar seemed to hold on to the ball far too long during slow developing plays. OC Todd Monken appeared to be hellbent on taking some downfield strikes without leaving his QB hot options to combat Houston’s 5 and 6-man blitz packages.

Some have said that I’ve been hard on Jordan Stout this season. I’d counter that his inconsistencies have earned the criticisms – inconsistencies that where on full display Saturday. His first punt from the Ravens 21 went for 24 yards. His second punt was a low trajectory dud that worked to the advantage of the Texans’ return unit, eventually ending in a Steven Sims 67-yard TD. Stout averaged 42.3 yards on 4 punts with an average net of 25.5. Not good. Now granted, this is just an eyeball test but as I see it, every time the Ravens need a big punt from Stout, they get the opposite.

The Ugly

When a team wins in the playoffs by the score of 34-10, the only ugly resides in the locker room of the opponent.

Coaching

Mike Macdonald had an excellent game plan. His mission was to stop the run and prevent explosive plays. All went according to plan and consequently, the Texans had their worst offensive showing of the season with Stroud at the controls throughout…After a stubborn start, Monken got Lamar untracked and clicking on all cylinders the way they were v. Miami…The Ravens coverage units have been subpar all season. This hasn’t been a good campaign for ST Coach Chris Horton. His ST’s were ranked 3rd in 2022 by Rick Gosselin whose rankings have become a benchmark for analysts. This season the Ravens ranked 16th. The problems you see are NOT in your TV set…John Harbaugh’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Houston 49, leading 17-10 with 2:12 left in the 3rd quarter was gutsy but did conform with the analytics. The play call was brilliant, the execution even better. This conversion essentially sealed the Texans fate.

#Ravens

One of the best calls of the game here.

4th & 1. Q Boot (away from power run action.)

Lamar in the open field… pic.twitter.com/arqWTeykTs

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 21, 2024

The Megan Fox Award

Things didn’t start well for Lamar Jackson. He, along with the entire offense played the first half on their heels. Frustrated, Lamar put the Ravens offense on his back like he’s done so many other times only on Saturday, the stakes were higher, conditions within which the Ravens franchise signal caller has failed in the past. This time, he would not be denied.

Lamar welcomed the blitz in the second half in the way a renowned surgeon might take on a challenging procedure. He carved up the Texans with precise, drive sustaining passes, and he was far more decisive as a runner churning up 100 yards by ground including two scores. Lamar also tossed for two TD’s, one to Likely and the other to Nelson Agholor. On the latter he showed patience and poise allowing the pick play to develop and allow Agholor to clear.

Running into AFC Championship Week!!!!! pic.twitter.com/2iSAOKjifi

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 21, 2024

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Jackson was 13-of-18 against an extra rusher for 120 yards and two touchdowns. The 75 percent blitz rate he faced was a career high. The halftime adjustments were crucial. John Harbaugh explained after the game:

“I think we just did a better job getting the ball out on time. I think [offensive coordinator] Todd [Monken] called a different game. It wasn’t so much hold the ball and try to push the ball downfield. … Once Lamar was able to sit back there and just pick [the defense] apart and get the ball out quick, he just did a great job with that and then took control of the game.”

Next Gen Stats shared that Lamar got the ball out much quicker against the blitz in the second half v. the first half.

Lamar Jackson faced a career-high 75.0% blitz rate, completing 13 of 18 passes against the blitz for 120 yards & 2 TD.

Jackson got rid of the ball more than a second quicker vs the blitz in the 2nd half (2.25 seconds) compared to the first half (3.51).#HOUvsBAL | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/j49zz4jjEr

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 21, 2024

It was a spectacular, clutch performance by Lamar. The offense has now kicked off the bye week rust. Lamar might have Mark Andrews back this week and Dalvin Cook is now a bit deeper into the offense. This coupled with a defense that seems to be gelling at the right time and The Bank’s 12th man that contributed to 5 Texans pre-snap penalties, all point towards a successful and overdue conference championship game in Charm City.

Only one man can save us from a Taylor Swift Super Bowl… pic.twitter.com/xz4OTNrQeJ

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) January 22, 2024

Super Bowl LVIII

This morning I decided to look at tickets to SB58 in Las Vegas, the first ever to be hosted by Sin City. Way uppers are into the $9500+ territory. Flights from Baltimore to Vegas look like this:

Add in accommodations (once you land on airfare), transportation in Vegas, food & entertainment and it makes for an extremely expensive weekend. Demand and the high rollers of Vegas will drive up prices even more upon arrival. And that’s why this Sunday’s AFCCG becomes even more appealing.

How great would it be to celebrate a conference championship in Baltimore and watch the Ravens accept the Lamar Hunt Trophy at the expense of its namesake’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs – to watch Lamar Jackson hoist the Lamar Hunt!

Ravens fans are hoping the team brings their “A” game on Sunday.

Here’s hoping the hometown crowd does the same!

[Ravens v. Chiefs Report Card]