The Ravens’ Super Bowl dreams ended with a flustered, flat performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat them, 17-10, before a deflated home crowd that had hoped to celebrate an ascendant Lamar Jackson.
Here are five things we learned from the game.
Lamar Jackson is in for another year of difficult questions after he failed to perform like an MVP in the biggest game
There’s no such thing as fair when it comes to the most scrutinized position in the most scrutinized sport. So the lasting image of Jackson’s season will not be the Most Valuable Player Award he claims in two weeks but the interception he threw into triple coverage, costing his team its last, best chance to score a touchdown in the most important game of the year. Jackson spiked his helmet, recognizing that for all the Ravens’ brilliant work over the past four months, their chance to keep playing, to reach the Super Bowl he has long coveted, was slipping away.
Jackson’s passing line — 20 of 37 for 272 yards, one touchdown and one interception — was neither tragically poor nor reflective of his wondrous efficiency in recent games. But the blame for this defeat will fall disproportionately on his shoulders, because he’s the best player, the highest paid, the one who headlines debate segments on the morning sports shows.
A week earlier, after Jackson had rallied the Ravens from a flat first half to resounding triumph over the Houston Texans, teammates spoke in awe of their asserted, assured offensive master, who possessed answers that eluded him at stressful moments earlier in his career. He seemed finally ready to go blow for blow with the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, the reigning alpha at the most celebrated, scrutinized position in American sports.
We did not see that Jackson on Sunday, when it was time to win the highest-stakes home game in franchise history.
He performed his best Houdini routine in the first quarter, vanishing from a defender’s grasp and lofting a 30-yard scoring pass to Zay Flowers in the end zone. In the second quarter, he completed a pass to himself, racing to snag the deflected ball and advance 13 yards before the defense knew what was happening.
But those bedazzlements belied a shaky first half in which he frequently threw to the wrong target or overshot in the face of pressure.
His play looked even more skittish when contrasted with Mahomes’ cool efficiency under fire. If these were the two best quarterbacks in the world, as Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey suggested three days before the game, one still operated in a higher realm.
Jackson moved the Ravens more freely in the second half but could not come up with the plays to translate those drives into points. Was this all his fault? Of course not. Flowers lost a fumble at the goal line. Wide receivers struggled to separate from Kansas City’s excellent cornerbacks. Jackson’s blockers did not give him a reliable pocket.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, reacts as referee Shawn Smith calls a taunting penalty on wide receiver Zay Flowers, right, in the third quarter. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken never found his rhythm as a play caller, failing to leverage a running game (81 yards on just 16 carries) that seemed to be the Ravens’ greatest advantage going into the matchup.
But Jackson was the one who fired too ambitiously when he saw a pair of defenders trailing tight end Isaiah Likely in Tampa 2 zone coverage, only for safety Deon Bush to swoop in for that decisive interception. Jackson thought there was enough contact on Likely to merit a pass interference penalty, but none appeared.
He was calm when it was all over.
“I’m not frustrated. I’m angry about losing,” Jackson said. “But I feel our team, we’re going to build.”
“I told him to stand up tall,” coach John Harbaugh said. “His performance today was all heart.”
But it was not all efficiency or sound judgment. Jackson needed to be closer to his best to unseat the AFC’s reigning boss, and he’s going to spend the next year hearing all the ways he fell short. He has wanted to be a championship quarterback since childhood, and this is the downside of the life he chose.
This might have been the best team in Ravens history, but it won’t be remembered as such
After the Ravens trounced the Miami Dolphins on New Year’s Eve to clinch the AFC’s top playoff seed, Harbaugh said: “I’m not sure I’ve seen a more impressive performance in a season to date.”
He’s not given to such sweeping, comparative statements, but his team’s performance backed his words. The Ravens outmaneuvered, out-schemed and outhit a parade of the league’s best. Their balance was extraordinary. They could beat you with the sport’s most prolific running attack, with Jackson’s magical arm and legs, with a chameleonic defense that demonstrated extraordinary discipline at the same time it led the league in sacks and takeaways. Aaron Schatz’s defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA), which measures team efficiency, tabbed the Ravens as the hottest team of the past four decades coming off their divisional round thumping of the Texans.
But they were not that team against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, and in our ring-obsessed sports culture, that means the 2023 Ravens will go down as just another very good playoff entry for a franchise that produces those routinely.
The players knew a rare chance had passed them by when it was over, knew how hard it was for them to become this good and how hard it will be to get back next year.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., signed for one season to help them get over the top, said he’d never played for a better team.
“These moments don’t come by often,” he said. “That’s why the stakes are so high. Why these players feel the way they feel.”
Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. consoles quarterback Lamar Jackson on the bench late in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Tears welled in linebacker Roquan Smith’s eyes as he spoke from the postgame podium. He had become the most outspoken projector of this group’s soaring confidence. “It’s definitely tough,” he said, voice cracking. “You just think about how hard it is to get back to this position. There’s a lot of things that have to go your way.”
Harbaugh said he was proud of them, noting the challenges they had overcome and the preseason predictions they had exceeded. But after 16 years of doing this, he knows you only get so many teams that really could win the Super Bowl, a realistic ambition that will go unfulfilled.
Fans had believed just as fervently and felt the emptiness just as acutely, filing out of M&T Bank Stadium quietly as the Chiefs prepared to accept their trophy on the field.
“Low,” linebacker Patrick Queen said, describing the collective mood. “We put so much work into it, every day, every practice, the grind, OTAs, training camp, and going through the season. Every single guy in this locker room has put everything he has into it, and we’ve developed bonds, and it’s just really tough to see this outcome. All this that we’ve been working for, and now it comes to an end.”
The result should not obscure a great performance by a great defense
Mahomes and his brilliant tight end, Travis Kelce, did what we expect of them as all-time great players. Facing fourth-and-2 on Kansas City’s first drive, the best quarterback in football rolled to his right and found a leaping Kelce over the middle for 13 yards. Three plays later, he trusted Kelce to snare a 19-yard pass in the end zone through cling-wrap coverage from All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton. World-class stuff.
Mahomes was just as surgical on the Chiefs’ next drive, a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown to answer Jackson’s touchdown strike to Flowers.
At that point, it seemed we might be in for both an epic showdown between the sport’s most thrilling quarterbacks and another coronation for the great Mahomes. What we got instead was a ferocious defensive struggle, with a total of six points scored after the 10:56 mark of the second quarter.
Mahomes’ next eight drives resulted in three points. The Chiefs averaged 4.4 yards per play for the game, a rate that would have ranked 30th in the league in the regular season. We’ll sweep forward with the narrative that Mahomes cannot be stopped come playoff time, and that’s true, but it’s also true he met his match in the Ravens’ defense, which took away his downfield looks, attacked his pocket and stonewalled his power running threat, Isiah Pacheco (24 carries, 68 yards).
“The defense did a wonderful job and held a great offense to 17 points,” Jackson said.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, left, tackles Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the third quarter. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
It’s what we had come to expect from coordinator Mike Macdonald’s crew, which led the league in sacks, takeaways and fewest points allowed while never giving opponents a fixed look to attack. The Ravens’ capacity to adjust during a game set them apart from the outstanding, attacking units coordinated by Macdonald’s predecessor, Don “Wink” Martindale.
They lined up All-Pros at all three levels and complemented them with tough, smart veterans beautifully suited to their roles. To its last day, this defense played well enough to bring a championship to Baltimore.
“Just having a group of truly unselfish dudes [who] don’t really care who gets the credit, all celebrate one another, it’s hard to find that in football, let alone in life,” said Smith, the leader.
Zay Flowers and Kyle Hamilton reminded us how much the Ravens have to be excited about
Flowers was the Ravens’ offensive star, right up until the moment he reached for a touchdown that would have cut Kansas City’s lead to three and instead saw the ball punched from his grasp by cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. It was a tantalizing, ultimately hellish moment that epitomized a tantalizing, ultimately hellish afternoon for the Ravens’ offense.
“I thought I did, honestly,” Flowers said when asked if he believed he had broken the plane of the goal line (replays showed he did not). “But I’ll learn from my mistakes.”
Harbaugh declined to blame the rookie, saying the Ravens teach their players to keep two hands on the ball when they reach for the goal line, which Flowers did.
It was an unfitting way to conclude a game in which Flowers proved, again, that he’s not destined to join the Ravens’ lineage of underwhelming first-round wide receivers. He saved three of his best games for the Ravens’ late victories over the Dolphins and 49ers and for their loss to the Chiefs. The team will need to create more chances for him as a downfield threat, but there’s no questioning his gift for springing free from the slot, his reliable hands or his ferocious thirst to reach the end zone. No less an authority than Beckham said “he’s going to be a special player.”
Hamilton already is that, an All-Pro hailed by some as the game’s finest safety in his second season. We knew he would be essential against the Chiefs, whether by covering Kelce, blitzing Mahomes or darting in to hammer Pacheco. As it turned out, he did all three and was the Ravens’ best open-field tackler to boot, finishing with a team-high nine solo stops.
A few doubters wondered why the Ravens used the No. 14 pick in the 2022 draft on a safety when they had pressing needs at more premium positions. Well, when that safety is 6 feet, 4 inches tall, weighs 220 pounds and makes himself felt on almost every play, conventional rules don’t apply. The Ravens will have plenty of work to do on their defense this offseason, but Smith and Hamilton are elite building blocks, much as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were once upon a time.
Throw in Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, and Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is three-for-three on his most recent first-round picks.
The Ravens might want another shot with this team, but they won’t be the same in 2024
The window just closed on this specific group; that’s reality when more than 20 players — including heart-and-soul stalwarts such as Queen, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike and guard Kevin Zeitler — are headed for free agency.
The Ravens will hold on to some. Perhaps they’ll use the franchise tag to keep Madubuike, who led the team with 13 sacks and 33 quarterback hits, off the open market, where he might command a $100 million deal. But Queen, who made the Pro Bowl in his fourth season playing through myriad injuries, might be too pricey given the hefty commitment the Ravens have already made to Smith.
A dejected Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley sits on the bench late in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, one of the great one-year bargains in team history, will surely cost more next time around. He and Beckham adored their time in Baltimore, but they’ll survey their options.
The Ravens will have many questions to answer on their offensive line, where guards Zeitler and John Simpson are both headed for free agency and tackles Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses battled injuries for much of the season. Linderbaum is the only sure thing. Patrick Mekari and Daniel Faalele did well rotating in to help Stanley and Moses reach the finish line. Might one of them compete for a starting job next summer?
Harbaugh’s staff could lose Macdonald to the Seattle Seahawks or Washington Commanders, both of which still need to hire a head coach. Defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson could become a coordinator in another city.
There will be plenty of time over the next two months to assess the choices confronting DeCosta and Harbaugh. Some fans will call for changes at the top after this loss, but that’s far-fetched. Players still respond to Harbaugh throughout every season, and he morphs with the times, as he did in hiring Macdonald and Monken the past two offseasons.
The Ravens will remain a contender to be reckoned with as long as Jackson is playing quarterback and Smith and Hamilton are around to maintain the franchise’s defensive standard. But this was farewell to an exceptional version of the team.
“Nobody thought we were going to be in this position — new system, new guys, a whole new team,” Jackson said. “People didn’t think we were going to be in this position, but we were. Next time, we’ve just got to finish.”
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is comforted by a member of the Kansas City chiefs after the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is consoled by a member of the Chiefs staff as the Baltimore Ravens fall to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is consoled by a member of the Chiefs staff as the Baltimore Ravens fall to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Ravens Isaiah Likely looks dejectedly on the sideline as the Chiefs defeat the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes holds up the championship trophy as Chiefs tightend Travis Kelce, right, celebrates.The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce kisses the trophy to celebrate Chiefs victory over the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson walks off the field after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley sits on the bench during the the AFC championship game in Baltimore against the Kansas City Chiefs. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson sits on the bench during the the AFC championship game in Baltimore against the Kansas City Chiefs. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews walks off the field after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers sits dejectedly on the bench late in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens fullback Patrick Ricard walks off the field after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Ravens Michael Pierce is dejected on the bench as the Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
John Brown of Phoenix reacts after the Baltimore Ravens fail to score a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers, left is consoled by kicker Justin Tucker as the fourth quarter and season close against the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers walks on the sidelines in shock, still stinging from his fumble to the Kansas City Chiefs in the end zone during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens fans react to a penalty against Baltimore late during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Fans see the end of the season as the Kansas City Chiefs keep the ball late during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson scrambles as Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis grabs onto him during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. fails to catch a pass in the end zone as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie covers and cornerback Jaylen Watson, #35 watches during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reacts in frustration during the AFC championship game in Baltimore against Kansas City Chiefs. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Arthur Maulet, #10 watchees Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling make a crucial reception sealing victory during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs celebrate after defensive back Deon Bush, kneeling, intercepted the ball against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Deon Bush intercepts the ball thrown by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the end zone during the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Triple teamed by Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner, #27 and linebacker Nick Bolton, Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely watches a pass get intercepted by Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Deon Bush, #26 during the fourth quarter of the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. The Chiefs stunned the Ravens, 17-10. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs Deon Bush intercepts a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens Isaiah Likely in the end zone in the 4th quarter. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs Deon Bush intercepts a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens Isaiah Likely in the end zone in the 4th quarter. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs Deon Bush intercepts a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens Isaiah Likely in the end zone in the 4th quarter. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs Deon Bush intercepts a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens Isaiah Likely in the end zone in the 4th quarter. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Deon Bush intercepts the ball thrown by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the end zone during the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs recover a fumble at the one-yard line by Zay Flowers during the AFC championship game against the Chiefs in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers, #4 coughs up the ball in the end zone to Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie for a touchback during the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers fumbles the ball at the one-yard line as he tries to score and the Kansas City Chiefs recover the ball during the AFC championship game against the Chiefs in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, left, reacts as Referee Shawn Smith, center, calls a taunting penalty on wide receiver Zay Flowers, right, in the third quarter. The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers is called for a taunting penalty on the Chiefs L’Jarius Sneed after a 54-yards catch in the third quarter. The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during the AFC championship game against the Chiefs in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike sacks Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during the AFC championship game against the Chiefs in Baltimore. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Ravens Kyle Hamilton, left, tackles Chiefs Clyde Edwards-Helairehe in the third quarter. Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship game. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson keeps for a first down as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravensxe2x80x99 Lamar Jackson catches a tipped pass and runs for gain in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson catches his own deflected pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws the ball away under pressure from Baltimore Ravens Kyle Hamilton as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs Trent McDuffie breaks up a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the 4th quarter. The Baltimore Ravens lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback #8 Lamar Jackson catches a pass after his pass was deflected by a Chiefs defensive player in the second quarter. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs #22 Trent McDuffie almost intercepts a pass as Baltimore Ravens quarterback #8 Lamar Jackson throws the ball away while being brought down by Kansas City Chiefs #95 Chris Jones in the second quarter. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Ravens quarterback #8 Lamar Jackson has the ball stripped away by Chiefs #90 Charles Omenihu in the second quarter. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce catches a pass over Ravens Brandon Stephens for a first down in the first quarter. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers fumbles the ball at the one-yard line as he tries to score and the Kansas City Chiefs recover the ball during the AFC championship game against the Chiefs in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravensxe2x80x99 Kyle Hamilton is unable to stop Kansas City Chiefsxe2x80x99 Travis Kelce from catching a touchdown pass in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Ravens quarterback #8 Lamar Jackson has the ball stripped away by Chiefs #90 Charles Omenihu in the second quarter. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Baltimore Ravensxe2x80x99 Lamar Jackson catches a tipped pass and runs for gain in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Jan. 28, 2024: Baltimore Ravens #6 Patrick Queen and teammate Baltimore Ravens #24 Jadeveon Clowney bring down Kansas City Chiefs #10 Isiah Pacheco in the second quarter. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens #14 Kyle Hamilton celebrates a first half tackle. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws the ball away under pressure from Baltimore Ravens Jadeveon Clowney as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens Justice Hill is tacked after a gain in the first quarter as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is striped of the ball by Chiefs Charles Onenihu for a 2nd quarter turnover as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson keeps for a first down as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws the ball away under pressure from Baltimore Ravens Kyle Hamilton as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws a completion to Mark Andrews in the first quarter as the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson catches a tipped pass and runs for gain in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson catches a tipped pass and runs for gain in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Kansas City Chiefs’ George Karlaftis recovers fumble by Ravens’ Lamar Jackson in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Jan. 28, 2024: Ravens #4 Zay Flowers and teammates celebrate his first quarter touchdown during the Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Ravens #4 Zay Flowers catches a touchdown pass in the first quarter as Chiefs #32 Nick Bolton was late on the coverage. Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton is unable to stop Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce from catching a touchdown pass in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers catches a pass in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in Baltimore. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
Ravens and Chiefs fans fight for the spotlight before the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Samantha Cholewczynski of Baltimore wears her handmade shirt showing Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs AFC title game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Ketia Stokes, right, and her mother, Linda Stokes of Baltimore get ready as the Baltimore Ravens take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Patrick Reed a former Parkville resident wears his Johnny Unitas jersey that he wore to the Ravens Super Bowl against the 49ers. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Pat McFaul of Bel Air gets ready for the Baltimore Ravens game as they host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
Shawn Blowe of Baltimore carries a giant Lamar Jackson photo on his way to thew stadium. The Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
A group of Ravens fans from the United Kingdom tailgate at the BMORE Around Town tailgate party prior to the AFC championship game between the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Ravens fans cheer as Zay Flowers arrives prior to the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
avens Jadeveon Clowney arrives prior to the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Ravens running back Delvin Cook arrives prior to the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Ravens fans tailgate at the BMORE Around Town tailgate party prior to the AFC championship game between the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs. ..(Jerry Jackson/Staff photo)
the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship at M&T Bank Stadium. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)
Chris and Karen Nicewarner of Martinsburg, W. Va attend every home game and are on the sideline as the Ravens prepare to host the Chiefs in the AFC championship game at M&T Bank Stadium. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
A fan holds a sign about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce before the 2024 AFC Championship in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/staff)
