AFC Championship Preview and Discussion – Chiefs vs. Ravens

Will the AFC North be represented in the Super Bowl?

The AFC Championship kicks off Sunday’s NFL action with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Baltimore Ravens at 3:00 PM ET. Thinking back, it’s still frustrating at how lackluster of a showing the Cleveland Browns had in the postseason — we were hoping for a fun showdown of Joe Flacco facing his former team, but instead we saw the Browns’ defense get smoked by the Houston Texans in the first round, only for Baltimore to shred the Texans last week.

Baltimore still seems fresh as ever and have essentially been running the gauntlet against playoff teams, beating the Rams 37-31, the Jaguars 23-7, the 49ers 33-19, the Dolphins 56-19, and then the Texans (last week) 34-10. They are clearly not overlooking anyone and are playing a great mix of offense and defense that no one has an answer for.

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The Chiefs, meanwhile, limped a bit into the playoffs, losing 5 of their last 9 games that mattered, and not really having any decisive victories against substandard competition. But they made it and have used their playoff experience to their advantage, turning things up a notch as they handled the Dolphins 26-7 in freezing cold temperatures, and then toughed out a 27-24 victory over the Bills last week. Will Patrick Mahomes be able to lead his team (and the side storyline of Taylor Swift) to the Super Bowl, or will Lamar Jackson continue to be the MVP of the NFL?

Browns fans are not rooting for either team in the AFC and don’t care about AFC North representation. The Chiefs are seen as the lesser of two evils probably, but I’m taking the Ravens to advance by a score of 28-21.

Use this as your open thread to discuss the AFC Championship, Browns fans.