“Kryptonite”

How mental is the game of football? Some may think that you have to be in physical peak shape which is correct. But also maintain healthy dieting and building your body just to be torn apart over the course of now eighteen weeks. But I want to talk about the mental aspect of the game and my prime example will be the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs match up over the past four years including the upcoming game this year. In their first meeting Baltimore was the visiting team at Arrowhead Stadium in 2018, Heisman winning quarterback and MVP Lamar Jackson rookie year and with only a few starts under his belt. On the other side is Patrick Mahomes an generational talent at the quarterback position, former MVP, and super bowl champion. KC pulled out a tight victory due to some hero’s plays from Mahomes and Tyreek Hill, edging a 27-24 win. The next year it was a 33-28 win for Kansas City, Baltimore started off aggressive with the run game but steered away from the gameplan and quickly fell behind to only claw their way back in the game but still came up short and 2020 was the exact same, losing 34-20 in Baltimore.

So what is it? Why is this the only team to have the Ravens number? Why don’t the Ravens make adjustments and stick to playing their style of football against this team? Could it be that Andy Ried has John Harbaugh number which is not a suprise with Harbaugh coming from Reid’s coaching tree and having a (1-4) record against his former coach and only win was back in 2008. They both know each other well and that could be part of the reason fo the losing streak, adjustments has to be made if Harbaugh and the Ravens want to start turning the tables against the reigning AFC Champions.

This is not anything surprising from the Ravens, they have faced similar problems in the past before Harbaugh arrived in Baltimore. I am referring to the battles against Peyton Manning. Even though the Ravens would be very competitive they fell short every single time against Manning and Indianapolis. Was it the lack of offensive weapons for Baltimore ? Or the greatness of Peyton? Or were they out coached? The same exact problems appear with Kansas City, I know Baltimore possess the talent to compete with the AFC juggernauts but they must show them something they have never seen in order to change the narrative. If Baltimore cannot get to Mahomes without blitzing then it will be a long night, he is simply too good, better than Manning in my opinion. On offense continue to run the ball, let Jackson complete some passes outside the numbers so that the Chiefs have to respect his throwing then the big highlight plays will open up like a parted sea. Harbaugh and company must be able to make adjustments on the fly, this game won‘t be just handed to them they must go get it.

Let’s not forget about the Kansas City defense which is loaded with some very talented players such as the honey badger Tyrann Mathieu and Chris Jones. One specific things that I have noticed from the previous match ups is the lateral speed which the Chiefs defense are capable of moving at and along with the great defensive schemes from Super Bowl winning coordinator Stephen Spagnuolo gave Lamar and company a lot of problems. Hopefully the new built offensive line will give Jackson the time he needs to make plays and secure a victory for the Flock.

The Baltimore Ravens are a proud franchise that has seen tremendous success in a small amount of time. I am confident that the coaches and players can solve this puzzle with Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Everyone must be on the exact same page throughout four quarter, I believe Baltimore has that mental toughness to beat this team despite the comments that were made after that Monday night game last year. They are built for it! Becoming a historic franchise within twenty-five years was not an easy task and neither will beating the Kansas City Chiefs.

This is it! This may be the year we get the AFC Championship game we’ve been waiting to see for years. This is a mental game and if the Ravens can overcome the past and dial in on the Chiefs then their road to the Super Bowl will look much clearer. We must change what we failed to do against the Chiefs in the past by beating the highest paid quarterback in history. Anything is possible, you just have to believe it. RavensFlock!!