As the Kansas City Chiefs thawed out in the visitors' locker room last week in Buffalo, their thoughts turned to Maryland.
Among Andy Reid's players, the conversation is said to have shifted from the Bills to Baltimore and, in particular, to the weather: Patrick Mahomes and Co. wanted to know whether they would face another freeze on Sunday.
It turned out that they were met with rain and dark skies, but M&T Bank Stadium was on fire – a storm of noise and emotion. At some point during this pulsating AFC championship game, a call came over the public address system: a fire had been reported and an evacuation had been ordered.
That didn't take away from this game and unfortunately for the Ravens, nothing could stop these Chiefs' advance. This is a special team and the reigning Super Bowl champions have now survived both the cold and the kettle.
They've come to cook at the perfect time and don't have to worry about catching a cold on the next leg of this journey. They're headed to the Las Vegas desert and a fourth Super Bowl in five years.
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 to win the AFC Championship
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes finished the game 30-39, 241 yards and a touchdown
Tight end Travis Kelce also had a great game, catching 11 passes for 116 yards and a TD
For the Ravens, the wait for a chance at football's biggest trophy enters its twelfth year. In the end, many fans and much of the life of this place were gone.
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson had predicted a “heavyweight” duel with Patrick Mahomes: The MVP was waiting and the best quarterback of the last half decade was in a head-to-head race. It was a fascinating fight and the slippery Jackson unleashed bolts of magic. The only problem? Unlike boxing, there are no rules against strangling your opponent in football. And on Sunday, the Ravens were starving for long stretches: They had almost 15 minutes less possession than Kansas City. And when they did, the Chiefs defense didn't budge.
Mahomes was confident with the ball – especially at the beginning. He controlled this game while Jackson grew angrier on the sidelines. The Ravens defense eventually battened down the hatches, but by that point the Chiefs' lead was already 10, and that proved to be enough. Travis Kelce was outstanding – he made NFL history with 11 receptions and the opening touchdown.
Forget the circus that now follows tight ends across the country, Kelce remains a headline attraction alone. He always had the freedom to get Mahomes out of a hole. Jackson has now lost four of his five meetings with the Chiefs quarterback. His wait for a first Super Bowl continues. After a season that promised so much, being named MVP would be little consolation.
Kelce was amazingly able to catch all 11 passes thrown his way
Running back Isiah Pacheco also found his way into the end zone for a Kansas City touchdown
The Chiefs defense managed a timely interception in the end zone to maintain the lead late into the night
Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked earlier this week if he had a message for the 71,000 fans who secured their seats here for the Ravens' first AFC championship game since 1971.
On Thursday, the cheapest seat was $764; One supporter spent $73,000 on a pair. Michael Phelps was in the crowd. This also applied to Taylor Swift and the Kelce clan. And yet, Harbaugh emphasized, the coach's motto wasn't all that different from what he would tell his players: Rest and enjoy a good meal before the game. Well, no one could blame the Ravens supporter for forgetting to refuel.
On Sunday morning, flags flying from car windows in downtown Baltimore began to fray in the wind and rain. Nevertheless, fans streamed onto the tracks and into the seats around M&T Bank Stadium. They sought shelter under awnings and under the overpass. They lit Cuban cigars before noon.
The atmosphere began to simmer long before Navy Seals fell from the sky and Jackson emerged through the smoke to shouts of “MV-P.” All because Baltimore believed this was the day he would prove wrong those who had written off this quarterback and this city.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finished the game 20-37, 272, 1 TD and 1 Int
Jackson ended up on the receiving end of his own pass after it was tipped into the air
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers committed a critical fumble while trying to score a touchdown
Earlier in the same drive, Flowers was also called for a controversial taunt penalty
Flower caught the Ravens' only touchdown pass of the game in the first quarter
The Ravens had already exorcised some demons in 2019, when Jackson was named MVP and Baltimore secured the No. 1 seed, only to be eliminated in the divisional round. They had already dominated both the 49ers and the Lions.
But this was a different challenge: against a team blessed with the suffocating swagger of inevitability and against a coach who has known the Harbaughs for four decades. Winning these games has become routine in Kansas City.
Mahomes, Kelce and Co. don't let this bother them too much. But Justin Tucker managed to cause a stir during warmups: The kicker's attempt to practice near the visitors caused Kelce to throw away his helmet and Mahomes to throw away his stand.
Those two then teamed up again during a disastrous first drive in which Mahomes marched his team down the field and finished off Kelce in the end zone. There was a stunned silence here, and after nearly half of the first quarter had passed, Jackson had only received three snaps. It turned out that he didn't need much more to light the blue touch paper again.
After the Chiefs forced another immediate fourth down in Baltimore territory, the quarterback took matters into his own hands. He spotted a hole and ran 21 yards. Two plays later, Jackson broke free from the clutches of Leo Chanal and then dropped a 30-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers.
For Baltimore, it was all about giving Jackson enough time to work his magic. With ten minutes left in the first half, the Ravens had only managed nine offensive plays in less than four and a half minutes. In contrast, the Chiefs had enjoyed 26 snaps in nearly 15 minutes.
At this point, the visitors were in the lead again thanks to Isiah Pacheco's goal – after Kelce kept the lead alive with a crucial dive. So much for that Ravens defense swarming Mahomes.
Instead, it was Jackson who was swallowed up by the game's first turnover: Charles Omenihu reached the quarterback and forced a fumble deep in Baltimore territory. But not once, but twice, Jackson flirted with disaster, but escaped unhurt.
First, his fumble went unpunished after Pacheco was stopped on fourth down. And then, on the Ravens' next drive, Jackson's pass was deflected into the air and intercepted by…Jackson. It was an opportunity to get a first down.
Ravens legend Terelle Suggs was in attendance and tried to get the crowd pumped up mid-game
Ray Lewis, a Ravens legend, was also present during the game to get the crowd pumped up
As a special highlight, T-Pain performed for the fans during halftime of the Ravens vs. Chiefs game
It was just rather unfortunate that the quarterback couldn't find his wideouts all too often in the first half: at halftime he was Baltimore's second-leading receiver with 13 yards and Baltimore was lucky to only trail by 10 points. It took until the final minute of the third quarter for the home team to threaten to exploit that lead.
After a period of attrition and stalemate, Jackson found Flowers with a 54-yard bomb. Incredibly, however, the trip failed. First, Flowers was punished for taunting. That cost Baltimore 15 yards. A few moments later, as Flowers was on his way to score, L'Jarius Sneed forced a fumble at the one-yard line. It was an outstanding piece.
The next time Baltimore had the ball in the end zone, Deon Bush was there to pick it. With less than three minutes left, Tucker's 43-yard field goal brought the Ravens within one score. But penalties continued to cost Harbaugh's team.
Since 2013, the Ravens are the only NFL team that has been unable to overcome a halftime deficit of more than 10 points. In fact, it rarely looked like this run would end there. In contrast to the Chiefs' relentless march to glory.