Conference Championship Games by the Numbers
Chiefs vs. Ravens
Chiefs Defense vs. Ravens Offense
Can the Chiefs stop the Ravens’ running game? That’s the big question on this side of the ball. Baltimore ran for the most yards in the NFL this season, were 3rd in yards per attempt, 3rd in runs of 4+ yards, and 4th in runs of 10+ yards. They’re consistent and explosive.
The Ravens are also versatile on the ground. According to PFF data, 40% of their designed runs were zone scheme and 49% were gap scheme. Not to mention, 17% of their rushing yards came from scrambles. Which means even when you think you’ve stopped the run, you have to worry about it again in passing situations because of Lamar Jackson.
This task will be tall for a Chiefs defense that has not been efficient against the run (24th in rush yards per attempt and 29th in runs of 4+ yards allowed).
The Chiefs defense keeps the passing game in front of them. Not only did they allow the fewest 20+ yard pass plays in the NFL during the regular season, they’ve been dominant in this regard so far in the playoffs. They’ve allowed just one completion of 20 yards or more against the explosive passing games of the Dolphins and Bills.
The Chiefs played the 5th highest frequency of man coverage in the NFL this season according to PFF. They cut that level roughly in half against Josh Allen last week, likely because of the fear of defenders turning their backs to a running quarterback. Expect to see something similar against Jackson.
The Chiefs ranked 7th in the NFL in blitz frequency (Pro-Football-Reference) and were 15th in simulated pressure %. Lamar Jackson had a 101.3 passer rating vs. the blitz.
The Ravens will need to keep an eye on Chris Jones, who aligns all across the D-line: 49% in the B-Gap, 34% over the tackle, and 16% outside the tackle according to PFF. And last week vs. Buffalo, the Chiefs had a key 3rd-down stop that happened specifically because he was aligned in the A-gap.