Getty Chiefs head coach Andy Reid barks at referee during Wildcard round against Dolphins.
The battle between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC Championship kicked off with a subtle shot by Chief’s head coach Andy Reid.
Yahoo Sports posted a TikTok with a comparison of Reid’s speech to his team on top of the Ravens celebrating in their locker room.
In the clip Reid addressed his team in the locker room following their 27-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round. Reid told his team, “No dancing today. We got more to do.”
The words may seem inconspicuous but considering the videos that came out of the Ravens’ locker room it definitely seems like a shot across the bow.
Following the Ravens’ 34-10 trouncing of the Houston Texans, the Ravens celebrated reaching the AFC Championship with some dance moves. Coach John Harbaugh, who has danced in the past, broke out his moves in the middle of his team.
Rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers also got in on the action after Harbaugh pointed to him to join the dance floor. The Ravens will be hosting their first home AFC Championship in franchise history, so they have a lot to celebrate.
Reid did go on to say, “We are going to enjoy this one. I’m proud of everybody.”
However, the first part of his quote may end up on the bulletin board for the Ravens heading into the matchup.
Chiefs & Ravens Youthful MVPs Go Head-to-Head
The matchup of Ravens vs. Chiefs will pit two of the game’s best quarterbacks against one another with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will be playing in his first AFC Championship, while Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has never missed the AFC Championship.
NFL Research, a X account that reposts statistics from their researchers, reposted a statistic from Dante Koplowitz-Fleming, a researcher for NFL Media. The post said, “The AFC Championship Game will be the first ever playoff matchup between former MVP quarterbacks both under age 30.”
Mahomes has two MVP awards under his belt from 2018 and 2022. Jackson has one MVP currently from 2019 but is likely to add his second one this season.
The Football Gods have given us Lamar Jackson vs Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship game.
Mahomes is only 28 years old, and Jackson is 27 years old. The two quarterbacks will be staples in the NFL for years to come.
However, Jackson will want to catch up to Mahomes in what really matters, Super Bowls. Mahomes has already played in three Super Bowls and won two of them.
Jackson will need to be on the top of his game against the Chiefs to reach his first Super Bowl and have the chance to add to his resume.
Baltimore Ravens Have Impressive 2023 Record Against Winning Teams
The Ravens have had a difficult march to the AFC Championship game. According to ESPN’s strength of schedules, the Ravens had the second hardest schedule only behind the Cincinatti Bengals.
Every team in the AFC North had a record above .500 and both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns made the playoffs this season.
NFL Network host, and former NFL cornerback, Jason McCourty posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Just how good have the Ravens been this season?” The graphic that followed detailed how the Ravens have 11 wins, in both the regular season and playoffs, against teams with a winning record.
Just how good have the Ravens been this season?
9 of those 11 wins have been by 14+ points (most in NFL history)
What will be their result??
“9 of those 11 wins have been by 14+ points (most in NFL history),” he wrote.
They beat both NFC Championship teams, the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers by 32 points and 14 points respectively.
Their main competition for the No. 1 seed in the AFC were the Miami Dolphins, and when the two teams met during Week 17 on New Years Eve, the Ravens blew them out 56-19.
McCourty finished his post with, “What will be their result??” The other three teams listed in the graphic all won the Super Bowl.
The Ravens will need to secure win number 12 against the Chiefs if they want to get to the next step.