[Wild Card]: #5 Baltimore Ravens (12-4) @ #4 Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)

[Blick]

Lol... stats.

Answer me this. Did the Chiefs play the same schedule as the Ravens? No?

Last time I checked you guys played the NFC West, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Your stats are skewed. So please don't bring up how your 14th ranked at whatever.

Dude it's the NFL. There aren't any easy games. Cleveland beat New England by 20...and you probably have the Patriots #1 (maybe #2 to the Ravens) on Bmore's Nobody Gives A Shit Playoff Team Rankings.

The Chiefs shut down good running backs all year.

Arian Foster - 71 yards
Chris Johnson - 58 yards
Maurice Jones-Drew - 47 yards
Steven Jackson - 67 yards

All of those guys have more yards than Ray Rice.

I can keep going though.

Peyton Hillis - 35 yards
Frank Gore - 43 yards
Fred Jackson - 64 yards

But yeah, those stats mean nothing. Baltimore's gonna run wild! :runaway:

 

[Bmore]

Dude it's the NFL. There aren't any easy games. Cleveland beat New England by 20...and you probably have the Patriots #1 (maybe #2 to the Ravens) on Bmore's Nobody Gives A Shit Playoff Team Rankings.

The Chiefs shut down good running backs all year.

Arian Foster - 71 yards
Chris Johnson - 58 yards
Maurice Jones-Drew - 47 yards
Steven Jackson - 67 yards

All of those guys have more yards than Ray Rice.

I can keep going though.

Peyton Hillis - 35 yards
Frank Gore - 43 yards
Fred Jackson - 64 yards

But yeah, those stats mean nothing. Baltimore's gonna run wild! :runaway:

According to your head coachs press conference. Baltimore will be the best running team they have faced. :2thumbs:

 

[Blick]

And just for shits and gigs, and to neutralize Bmore's schedule agument, let's look at common opponent's running backs and how they did against the mighty Ravens.

Arian Foster - 100 yards
Peyton Hillis - 144 yards!
Fred Jackson - 73 yards

All more than the totals the Chiefs gave up to the same players.

And not to mention, you gave up 120 yards to Mike Goodson of the Carolina Panthers! MIKE GOODSON son? C'mon son. You know that's foul. Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit. /ed lover

 

[Blick]

According to your head coachs press conference. Baltimore will be the best running team they have faced. :2thumbs:

“If you look at their team, they are built to get something started over there,” the 35-year old Lewis said. “They are a sleeper team in the bracket that nobody had really even thought about and they came out (of the AFC West). But they did come out and it’s because of the young talent that they do have. When you sit back and watch them, they are talented across the board.”

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/article-2/Roster-Rehabilitation/926abe7b-0cb4-49b0-817c-4f068c2cef3d

 

[Bmore]

And just for shits and gigs, and to neutralize Bmore's schedule agument, let's look at common opponent's running backs and how they did against the mighty Ravens.

Arian Foster - 100 yards
Peyton Hillis - 144 yards!
Fred Jackson - 73 yards

All more than the totals the Chiefs gave up to the same players.

And not to mention, you gave up 120 yards to Mike Goodson of the Carolina Panthers! MIKE GOODSON son? C'mon son. You know that's foul. Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit. /ed lover

LOL

Chiefs gave up 161 yards to Knowshon Moreno in Arrowhead.

KNOWSHON MORENO son? C'mon son. You know that's foul. Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit. /edlover

 

[Blick]

LOL

Chiefs gave up 161 yards to Knowshon Moreno in Arrowhead.

KNOWSHON MORENO son? C'mon son. You know that's foul. Get the fuck outta here with that bullshit. /edlover

At least Moreno was a first round pick lol.

The Ravens can be run on. The Chiefs can also stop the run. We'll see if it works out that way.

Hopefully we will see a lot of this on Sunday:

 

[Bmore]

At least Moreno was a first round pick lol.

The Ravens can be run on. The Chiefs can also stop the run. We'll see if it works out that way.

Hopefully we will see a lot of this on Sunday:

So was Ryan Leaf, whats your point?

I think Tom Brady has already proved any kind of draft round point your trying to make ... wrong

Knowshon Moreno is shit and even the most blind Denver homer will tell you that.

 

[Blick]

I wasn't trying to make a serious point.

 

[Blick]

Ravens Update:

January 6, 2011
Ravens on the mend

The Ravens appear to be taking small steps towards getting healthier for Sunday’s AFC Wildcard game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Free safety Ed Reed and center Matt Birk returned to practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday’s session. Reed injured his ribs while returning his second interception in last Sunday’s 13-7 win against the Cincinnati Bengals, while Birk is dealing with a sore knee.

However, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs were not present during the portion of practice open to the media. Ngata (thigh) and Suggs (knee) missed Wednesday’s session.

Linebackers Jameel McClain (back), Tavares Gooden (shoulder) and Dannell Ellerbe (head), cornerback Josh Wilson (head) and free safety Tom Zbikowski (bulging disk in back) were present. All five players were limited Wednesday.

Wide receivers Derrick Mason (ankle) and David Reed (torn ligament in left wrist) and left tackle Michael Oher (sprained right knee/ankle) also participated after practicing fully Wednesday.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/spor...he_mend_1.html

Uh oh...the Ravens are banged up, Bmore. I particularly like the match up with Tamba Hali on Oher with a sprained knee/ankle.

 

[Bmore]

Every team is banged up... It's the 18th week of the season.

Are you going to the game? If so what kinda seats you got?

 

[BazookaJoe5]

Oher is terrible when he's healthy, him against Hali is one of the few legit concerns of mine going into this game.

 

[Bmore]

I do believe Oher already has experience against Hali. So I'm not that worried. I'm more worried about our defense, I'm curious which version will show up.

The version that whipped up on the Saints and held there offense in check or the one who allowed the Texans to come back from a 21 point deficit.

 

[BazookaJoe5]

I'm not real worried about the defense, honestly. They always show up in the playoffs. The offense is my biggest concern, as far as what version will show up.

Ed Reed will make the difference. I didn't realize it, but his playoff numbers are ridiculous. He has picks in 5 of his 7 playoff games, seven total. And he's coming into this game with four picks in his last two games.

He is the main reason I don't expect Bowe to be a factor. Definitely expect Mattison to put Reed and Wilson doubled on him and make other guys beat us. And if Cassel still wants to throw it in Reed's direction, by all means...

 

[Blick]

Every team is banged up... It's the 18th week of the season.

Are you going to the game? If so what kinda seats you got?

The Chiefs have been lucky to be pretty healthy all year, which is one of the reasons why they're in the dance.

Yeah I will be in my usual spot...lower level in the southwest corner of the endzone about halfway up in row 26 on the aisle. Same seats I've sat in for 17 years. You?

 

[Blick]

I do believe Oher already has experience against Hali. So I'm not that worried. I'm more worried about our defense, I'm curious which version will show up.

There's a big difference between the Hali that was making the transition to the 3-4 defense in the first game of the season last year, and the comfortable in the 3-4 Hali with 14.5 sacks this year.

I'm not real worried about the defense, honestly. They always show up in the playoffs. The offense is my biggest concern, as far as what version will show up.

Ed Reed will make the difference. I didn't realize it, but his playoff numbers are ridiculous. He has picks in 5 of his 7 playoff games, seven total. And he's coming into this game with four picks in his last two games.

He is the main reason I don't expect Bowe to be a factor. Definitely expect Mattison to put Reed and Wilson doubled on him and make other guys beat us. And if Cassel still wants to throw it in Reed's direction, by all means...

I agree about the defense. I think it's going to be a defensive, 17-13 type game.

I think it's a waste of Ed Reed's ability to put him doubled up on Bowe. The Chiefs are fine with taking Bowe out of the game if that takes Reed out of the game as well..

The Chiefs have other weapons and your other corners aren't good. Chris Chambers is a veteran with playoff experience. Dexter McCluster is a tough coverage assignment in the slot. Tony Moeaki presents problems at TE. And, Jamaal Charles will kill any of your LB's out of the backfield.

KC's passing attack has some balance and that's why Cassel has had such a good year. They can hit you out wide, in the slot, from the TE spot, or out of the backfield.

Cassel should have a good game if he's given time to throw. Barry Richardson, KC's RT, plays with his head up his ass a lot, so that's something that Baltimore could exploit. But, if Richardson comes to play, then I like KC's chances, because the Ravens are at the bottom of the league in sacks.

 

[Blick]

Red Friday, ready for Sunday.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16097764" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0"></iframe><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/16097764">ARROWHEAD</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5033743">THE NFL SEASON: A BIOGRAPHY</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

[Bmore]

The Chiefs have been lucky to be pretty healthy all year, which is one of the reasons why they're in the dance.

Yeah I will be in my usual spot...lower level in the southwest corner of the endzone about halfway up in row 26 on the aisle. Same seats I've sat in for 17 years. You?

Section 307. Kinda Nose bleed, but I'm just psyched I'm going. I thought I was gonna have to drive to Indy... :smug:

 

[Bmore]

oh and I got 3 tickets off stub hub, I was recommended to them. So hopefully these $220 Tickets aren't fake. Otherwise I'll be getting $400 or so back from stub hub

 

[Blick]

The way the stadium is shaped, there really isn't a bad seat in the house. 220 though? Damn. I have an extra ticket with my seats and face value is $101. I guess the prices are getting jacked up for the playoffs though.

 

[Blick]

I'm so pumped for this game I can't even sleep. I won't get a chance to post until after the game, so I wanted to get some final thoughts out there as I've been reading and watching a lot of opinions from the "experts".

Everybody is picking the Ravens. Playoff experience, tested on the road, physicality, Ray Lewis, Ray Rice, bla bla bla.

Fuck that.

Arrowhead loves her place under the radar right now.

I found these statistics in this Bill Williamson article really interesting because I was shocked that somebody at ESPN bothered to notice that the Chiefs actually match up pretty well in this game.

Chiefs vs. Ravens: By the numbers

By Bill Williamson
Thanks to the fabulous number crunchers at ESPN & Information, we have a bunch of statistics to keep in mind as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to host the Baltimore Ravens in a wild-card game Sunday.

Let’s take a look:

The Chiefs rush five or more defenders 26.7 of the time, which is more than six percent lower than the NFL average. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco is effective against the heavy rush. Flacco has thrown the fourth fewest amounts of interceptions against the scheme.

An interesting facet to watch is Flacco against the Chiefs’ blitzing from their defensive backs. The Chiefs have the best secondary blitz in the NFL. Opponents are completing just 39 percent of their passes against Kansas City when it blitzes its defensive backs. Opponents also are averaging five yards an attempt against the Chiefs and their passer rating against the Chiefs is 48. 2. The Chiefs lead the NFL in both areas.

Flacco will also have to deal with a tough sideline pass defense. The Chiefs are second in the NFL with a 46 percent competition percentage on sideline passes and they are first in the NFL, allowing 5.3 yards an attempt on sideline passes. This may be a way for the Chiefs to affect Flacco. He was ranked 20th in the NFL against sideline passes.

Cassel and Flacco use plenty of play action. Flacco has attempted more play-action passes than quarterback in the league. Flacco is especially effective inside the pocket on play-action attempts. Cassel is strong outside of pocket on play-action passes. Flacco threw out of the play action 30.7 percent of the time and Cassel has thrown out of it 23.4 of the time.

Cassel is getting more comfortable in his third season as a starter. In 2008, while with New England, Cassel scrambled once every 13.3 drop backs against a normal pass rush of four defenders. This season, he scrambled once every 23.3 percent of his drop back against a four-man rush.

There’s no doubt, Cassel is being helped by the presence of star running back Jamaal Charles. Charles averaged 6.4 yards per rush when opponents but seven or more defenders in the box pre-snap, which is the best in the NFL. Because of Charles’ presence, Cassel threw 17 touchdown passes in that scenario, which is second in the NFL. Kansas City Pro Bowl receiver Dwayne Bowe caught nine of his 15 touchdown passes against that defense.

Opponents have been called for 21 false starts this season in Kansas City. That led the NFL. That could be trouble for the Ravens. Tackle Michael Oher has been called for an NFL high false starts this season. That could be a promising combination for the Chiefs.

Even though I think the Chiefs have a great opportunity to win this game, I have a feeling that they will somehow manage to fuck it up. We have terrible luck in the playoffs, so it's only fitting that we will probably set the record for consecutive playoff losses. I've honestly thought about staying home for the game since I've been to KC's last 3 playoff losses at home. I'm sure I will be walking out of the stadium heartbroken and pissed off once again.

Baltimore 20, Chiefs 17 (reverse mojo pick)