Who do the Chiefs want to avoid the most in the Divisional Round?

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KANSAS CITY, MO – DECEMBER 9: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens runs out of the pocket with Anthony Hitchens #53 and teammate Justin Houston #50 of the Kansas City Chiefs in pursuit during the second quarter of the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 9, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

4. BALTIMORE RAVENS

One of the most interesting teams in the NFL just so happens to be on the AFC side of the playoff bracket. Additionally, they matchup almost perfectly with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Led by rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson and an incredible defense, the Ravens are a team that no one is excited to play against. While the offense seems to be relatively one dimensional, they are effective. With a lot of read options and quick hand-offs, Baltimore is one of the most unorthadox teams in football. For a team like the Chiefs, their style of play is somewhat nerve-wracking in a big game.

Offensively:

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Despite only playing part of the season, rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson set an NFL record for the most rushing attempts by a quarterback in a single season. While this may seem less than ideal for the Ravens, it has been working. Along with running backs Gus “The Bus” Edwards and Kenneth Dixon Jackson has led the charge on the ground. That being said, the passing game is a jumbled and brilliant mess of wide receivers and tight ends that split time and play the roles that they are brought in for. The offense is odd, but has yet to be shut down.

On the ground, Gus Edwards and Dixon have emerged as the main rushing duo. Each back will rotate in and out depending on the down or situation. Dixon is more of a quick hitting back, while Edwards is the power runner. Pairing this combination with the speed of Jackson has proven lethal in previous weeks.

Through the air, the Ravens like to use anyone and everyone. While many believe Michael Crabtree to be the number one receiver, both Willie Snead and John Brown garner the same amount of targets. This may seem like a lot of names and it is. This is the nature of the Ravens offense.

To round out the offense, I would be remissed if I didn’t mention the tight ends. Again, there are a lot of names here, but this is precisely how the Ravens play it. Due to the rushing attack the Ravens carry four tight ends, but they are not just blockers. In fact between the four tight ends—Nick Boyle, Hayden Hurst, Mark Andrews and Maxx Williams—the Ravens have gotten the following statistics: 86 receptions, 1,0171 yards and 5 touchdowns.

While this may sound less-than-impressive, if this were one tight end, they would be considered top five at their position in the NFL. Baltimore uses all four tight ends on the roster effectively.

Defensively:

Now this is where I get even more nervous about the potential matchup with the Chiefs. The Ravens have a very talented and well-coached defense. They have been one of the best all season. Surrendering the fewest yards in the NFL, the Ravens have managed to get even the most gifted offenses off of the field.

C.J. Mosley has provided the team with 105 tackles and is the heart of the middle of the defense. Along with good blitzing ability, veteran Terrell Suggs has seven sacks this season and Za’Darius Smith has 8.5. This is a nightmare for opposing offensive lines to contain.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the defense, however, is the backfield. With safety Eric Weddle and cornerbacks Brandon Carr, Marlon Humphrey and Jimmy Smith, the Ravens have allowed 21 passing touchdowns on the season, which means they averaged giving up 1.3 passing touchdowns a game. The Ravens defense has given up the NFL’s second least points. Yes, this defense is for real, and I don’t wish to see it again.

Ranking and analysis:

This obviously means that the Ravens are number 3 on my list. I do not want to see them again. While I understand the sentiment of shutting down a non-throwing rookie quarterback, I just am unsure whether the Chiefs can do it. I think the best way to beat Kansas City is with a good defense. If there is a team that can limit what the Chiefs can do on offense, it’s the Ravens.

While it would be interesting to see what Patrick Mahomes learned from the first matchup, I am certainly not excited about playing the team that developed the recipe for opponents to follow in order to beat the Chiefs. Lamar Jackson may not go to a Super Bowl this season, but he is good enough to beat up on a bad defense like the Chiefs. If Kansas City gets slowed down again by this defense, I can invision a much less happy conclusion.

Next. This is the best time to be a Chiefs fan. dark

Despite my nervousness, I think the Chiefs can beat the Ravens. In fact, I think the Chiefs can win against any of their potential rivals, but as a fan of the Chiefs, I have learned to be skeptical. I am quietly and nervously hopeful that the Mahomes era leads us out of this pit of playoff sadness and shows us that we don’t need to have trust issues any more. Next Saturday cannot get here soon enough.

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