M&T Bank Stadium will be LOUD on Sunday, and Patrick Mahomes is already thinking about it.
Mahomes knows that Ravens fans bring the noise, which they demonstrated during Saturday's 34-10 victory over Houston in the divisional round. The crowd made it difficult for the Texans to communicate at the line of scrimmage, as the Texans had five false starts and a delay of game penalty.
This is nothing new. Over the course of the 2023 season, opponents at M&T Bank Stadium had 19 false starts and nine delay of game penalties. Both were the most in the NFL.
Now the Ravens are preparing to host the AFC Championship for the first time in franchise history, and Baltimore's crowd noise was already on Mahomes' mind following the Chiefs' 27-24 victory over the Bills on Sunday.
"That stadium's going to be rocking," Mahomes told Tracy Wolfson of CBS during his postgame interview. "So, we're excited for the challenge."
Head Coach John Harbaugh and Ravens players gave props to fans after the Houston game for creating an atmosphere that gave Baltimore a huge homefield advantage. With the AFC Championship and a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line against the Chiefs, Harbaugh is anticipating the crowd turning up the volume even more.
"Our fans are going to get the chance to cheer just as loud or louder than they did in this game," Harbaugh said. "I thought our fans were incredible. It was deafening out there."
Mahomes is already familiar with how loud it can get at "The Bank." Earlier this season, he told Peyton Manning and his brother Eli that only two road venues had ever forced him to use a silent count – Baltimore and Seattle.
"It was so loud in those stadiums that even the tackles couldn't hear me," Mahomes said on ESPN’s “Manningcast.” "So those are the two times."
Mahomes' last game in Baltimore was in 2021, when Lamar Jackson flipped into the end zone for the winning touchdown during a memorable 36-35 Ravens victory on "Sunday Night Football."
Baltimore's crowd was in a frenzy that night, but the stakes will be higher on Sunday. Ravens edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney knows that Baltimore's league-leading pass rush will be a key to the game, and the crowd noise could help the Ravens get a jump on getting to Mahomes.
"We're going to need them," Clowney said. "I love you all, fans. You all keep bringing that energy. You all keep us in the game and keep us going."
Roquan Smith will be staring into Mahomes' eyes across the line of scrimmage, and the All-Pro linebacker wants to hear the noise ringing in Mahomes' ears.
"I know it's going to be rocking next week in the AFC Championship game," Smith said. "They love their football and the way they come out; I don't know what they could be on. Maybe it's liquid courage. But they got at the top of their lungs, and it's definitely a big part for us."
