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Ravens Eye View: What Happened to the Ravens Offense in AFC Championship Loss?

QB Lamar Jackson
QB Lamar Jackson

After a stunning 17-10 loss in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Ravens fans are looking for answers.

The 10 points were tied for the fewest Baltimore scored all season.

So what happened?

Here's a look at the film:

Chiefs Stacked the Box, Linebackers Won Their Battles

The Chiefs were missing starting linebacker Willie Gay (neck) and nose tackle Derrick Nnadi, but still often won at the point of attack.

The Ravens didn't challenge the Chiefs often with their heavy formations very much. Fullback Patrick Ricard played just 15 offensive snaps – his lowest total of the season besides Pittsburgh.

When they did run the ball, they had some success.

Jackson ran eight times for 54 yards, but there were some more opportunities for him to take off.

Steve Spagnuolo Changed the Picture, Dared Deep Passes Outside

The Ravens knew they were in for a tough day going against Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and indeed made life difficult.

The Chiefs used six different defensive formations, per ESPN's Dan Orlovsky. All but five of the 56 defensive formations had at least five defensive backs on the field.

The Chiefs generally tried to clog the middle of the field with defensive backs and dare the Ravens and Jackson to beat them deep on the outside. Per Next Gen Stats, Jackson completed just 5 of 15 passes for 75 yards against single-high safety coverages.

Jackson fared better vs. split-safety coverages, completing 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards, a touchdown and an interception, per Next Gen Stats.

Missed Opportunities for More Big Plays

The Ravens hit a couple deep shots to Zay Flowers, but they had opportunities for more with the way the Chiefs were playing with the single-high safety.

Patrick Mahomes Was Simply on Fire to Start

On the other side of the ball, sometimes you have to tip your cap because Patrick Mahomes made some wild plays on the first two drives of the game.

He and the Chiefs got rolling with shorter, quick throws to neutralize the Ravens' pass rush, then came through in clutch third- and fourth-down moments.

Extra Points

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