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For the third year in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs will face off with the winner of the AFC North. However, instead an orange helmet with black stripes, it will be a black helmet with a bird on it. If you can’t tell: it’s the Kansas City Chiefs against the Baltimore Ravens.
Both took very different paths to get here. Baltimore grabbed the number one seed despite losing to teams like the Indianapolis Colts and the Cleveland Browns before going on to dismantle the Houston Texans in the Divisional round. Meanwhile Kansas City froze the Dolphins in the Wild Card round and barely squeaked by following a missed field goal by Buffalo Bills’ kicker Tyler Bass.
So who wins? Let’s take a look:
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, 3:00 PM
X Factor:
Kansas City: Taylor Swift – Travis Kelce’s Girlfriend
Baltimore’s fans may be brutal but have they met Swifties? Just knowing that their favorite celebrity is dating the team’s best weapon is enough to make this somewhat of a home game for Kansas City…..
JUST KIDDING
Kansas City (For Real): Isaiah Pacheco – Running Back
Kansas City’s rushing attack has been a big part of why they’ve won games this year, and will play a big role if they’re to advance to the Super Bowl. While the passing games only seen two reliable targets (tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Rashee Rice), the running game will be where it’s at. Baltimore had a top five pass defense this year, but against the run, they finished 14th. If Isaiah Pacheco can get things going, they’ll make this game extremely interesting.
Baltimore: The Middle Of The Defense
Remember when Kansas City had an outside threat in the receiving corp? It seems like just last year that Marquez Valdes-Scantling was a reliable target that complemented Juju Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson and Travis Kelce. Good times…
Now their big threats have been running back Isaiah Pacheco, slot wide receiver Rashee Rice and of course Kelce. If Baltimore can force quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw to the outside targets, their chances of forcing mistakes will increase. It’s still a tough task but the safeties and linebackers are going to play a key role in this game.
Prediction: Kansas City wins 42-38
Realistically, this should be a Baltimore win. However, once the regular season turns into the postseason, it’s like a switch is flipped by Kansas City and they transform into a Shao Khan or M. Bison type boss. This should be another game for the ages, but realistically, you don’t bet against Kansas City in the playoffs.