KANSAS CITY (13-6) at BALTIMORE (14-4)
Sunday, 3 p.m. EST, CBS
OPENING LINE: Ravens by 3 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Chiefs 12-7; Ravens 12-6.
SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 7-5.
LAST MEETING: Ravens beat Chiefs 36-35 on Sept. 19, 2021, in Baltimore.
LAST WEEK: Chiefs beat Bills 27-24; Ravens beat Texans 34-10.
CHIEFS OFFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (19), PASS (6), SCORING (15).
CHIEFS DEFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (18), PASS (4), SCORING (2).
RAVENS OFFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (1), PASS (21), SCORING (4)
RAVENS DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (14), PASS (6), SCORING (1)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Chiefs minus-11; Ravens plus-12.
CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: It’s not so much a single player but the entire Kansas City offensive line, and the interior in particular, that must play well on Sunday. The Chiefs could be without stalwart LG Joe Thuney after he strained his pectoral muscle in the divisional round at Buffalo. But regardless, if the Chiefs want to win they need to be able to run the ball with Isiah Pacheco, and that starts with the guys up front.
RAVENS PLAYER TO WATCH: All-Pro S Kyle Hamilton has done a bit of everything for Baltimore’s defense this season, and his versatility could be crucial against everything Patrick Mahomes can do offensively for the Chiefs. Hamilton became the first player since Tyrann Mathieu in 2015 to have double-digit tackles for loss and at least four interceptions in one season.
KEY MATCHUP: Baltimore’s pass protection against Kansas City DLs Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. Houston tried to bother Lamar Jackson with lots of blitzing, but the Ravens eventually adjusted and won that game fairly easily last week. The Chiefs would love to pressure Jackson without bringing extra players if they can.
KEY INJURIES: Thuney (pectoral) and S Mike Edwards (concussion) missed practice this week. So did RG Trey Smith, though he had an illness and is expected to play. … Baltimore TE Mark Andrews (ankle) hasn’t played since November, but he’s been at practice this week. CB Marlon Humphrey (calf) also practiced after missing the team’s playoff opener.
SERIES NOTES: The Ravens rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat the Chiefs 36-35 in their most recent meeting. That victory snapped the Ravens’ four-game losing streak in the series. The teams have only met once in the postseason, when the Ravens romped 30-7 in Kansas City in the wild-card round on Jan. 9, 2011.
STATS AND STUFF: The Chiefs are playing in their sixth straight AFC title game. The only streak longer is the eight-game run by New England from the 2011-18 seasons. … TE Travis Kelce and LS James Winchester will extend their Chiefs record for playoff games by appearing in their 21st. … The Chiefs’ Andy Reid is the only coach to reach at least four conference title games with two different franchises. Along with the six in Kansas City, Reid led Philadelphia to five in the NFC. … Mahomes has thrown for 4,561 yards in the postseason. He needs 404 yards to pass John Elway for eighth on the NFL’s career list. Mahomes will be playing in his 17th game while it took Elway 22 to reach his total. … Mahomes has 44 TD passes in the postseason. He needs three to pass Peyton Manning for fifth on the career list. … Mahomes has 13 postseason wins. He can tie Elway, Manning, Steve Young and Terry Bradshaw for third behind Tom Brady and Joe Montana on the career list with a victory Sunday. … Mahomes and Kelce connected for two TDs against the Bills, giving them 16 in their postseason careers. That passed Brady and Rob Gronkowski for the most by a duo in NFL history. … Chiefs WR Rashee Rice has 177 yards receiving through two playoff games. He needs 66 to pass Torry Holt for third most by a rookie in a single postseason. … Chiefs K Harrison Butker has 140 points in the playoffs. He needs 14 to pass Gary Anderson for fifth on the NFL career list. … The Ravens are 2-2 in the AFC title game, and this is the first time they’ll play it at home. The city of Baltimore hasn’t hosted this game since January 1971, when the Colts beat the Oakland Raiders. … During the regular season, the Ravens won an NFL-record 10 games against teams that finished with winning records. Their point differential against teams with winning records was plus-178. … Baltimore led the league in scoring defense (16.5 points per game) and sacks (60) and tied for first in takeaways (31). The Ravens are the first team to lead the NFL in all three of those categories. … The Ravens had 16 players with at least one sack this season. Only Detroit (18) had more. … Jackson has only played in five postseason games, but he’s surpassed 100 yards rushing in three, a record for a QB. … Jackson is the only QB to produce at least 3,000 yards passing and 800 yards rushing in multiple seasons. He did it this season and in 2019, when he was the MVP.
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