NFL playoffs: What We Learned from Chiefs’ win over Ravens in AFC Championship Game

1) Steve Spagnuolo schemes up a gem. No team provided an answer for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens' offense for most of the last two months, leading most everyone to believe they'd continue their march with another spectacular showing in the AFC Championship Game. That message failed to reach the Chiefs defensive coordinator, who stuck to his signature, pressure-heavy style and instructed his defense to attack Jackson. Kansas City blitzed Jackson 20 times and posted a pressure rate of 37, sending rushers to fill every escape lane for Jackson and shutting down Baltimore's vaunted offensive attack. The results were beautiful: four sacks, 3 of 11 on third-down conversions, 10 total points allowed and a dominant showing in time of possession in favor of the Chiefs (37:30 to 22:30). Instead Jackson slicing through Kansas City's defense, the quarterback seemed lost for most of the game, none more so than when he tossed a pass into triple coverage and had it picked off in the end zone. The Chiefs simply don't win this game without the incredible performance from their stellar defense, one folks didn't discuss enough entering the weekend, and certainly won't gloss over again in the next two weeks in Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers. 

2) Travis Kelce: Master of the moment. Baltimore's defense appeared to be positioned to shut down Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City's inconsistent offense, but nobody accounted for Kelce's postseason excellence. He was the Chiefs' offense in the first half, catching all nine of his targets for 96 targets and a fantastic touchdown to take an early lead. When Mahomes and the Chiefs needed a big play to keep their early drives going, Kelce came through on multiple occasions, making a few