Chiefs QB Patrick MahomesPerry Knotts/Getty ImagesDavenport: The Baltimore Ravens are the better, more balanced team. Lamar Jackson is all but certainly going to be named MVP. The pass rush is the league's best. Baltimore just jack-stomped an overmatched Houston Texans team in the divisional round. The Ravens will be playing at home. A great many things point toward a Baltimore victory.
I thought the same thing about the Buffalo Bills last week. For all the Ravens have, there's one thing they do not—a quarterback who was blasted with Omega Rays in a scientific experiment gone wrong and transformed into an unstoppable juggernaut on the football field.
Jackson's entire legacy to this point in his career is riding on this contest. Patrick Mahomes is playing in his sixth consecutive AFC Championship Game.
Mahomes stands on his head (again), and the Chiefs win the AFC (again).
Chiefs 24, Ravens 20
Hanford: Don't bet against Mahomes. That's really what this pick comes down to. He has dominated the Ravens historically, passing for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns while going 3-1 ATS.
I do believe this will be the best Ravens team he's ever faced (and the best version of Jackson we've ever seen), but I don't think that will stop Mahomes from doing what he does best in the playoffs. He's been here before. He's almost always on top of his game on the biggest of stages. Chiefs come out on top behind a late Harrison Butker field goal.
Chiefs 24, Ravens 21
Moton: For the most part, Jackson hasn't played well against Kansas City. He completed less than 55 percent of his passes in three out of four matchups with the Chiefs, but Kansas City will see a different version of him on Sunday.
In an MVP-caliber campaign, Jackson is completing a career-high 67.2 percent of his passes, and he's still a dynamic playmaker with his legs, averaging a league-leading 5.5 yards per carry.
This year, the Chiefs' 15th-ranked scoring offense doesn't have the firepower to keep pace with Jackson and the Ravens. Baltimore's No. 1-ranked rushing offense will wear down Kansas City's 18th-ranked run defense in the second half to eke out a win by a field goal.
Ravens 24, Chiefs 21
Sobleski: An overly simplified approach to this prediction would fall somewhere along the lines of, "Don't bet against Patrick Mahomes." Even though Jackson nears a second MVP award, Mahomes is the best player in football and continues to show why when it matters the most.
Admittedly, the Ravens have been the better team throughout the entirety of the season. But playoff football is different, and the Chiefs appear to be peaking at the perfect time. The implementation of weapons throughout the offense makes the Chiefs more dangerous by the week.
Rashee Rice emerged as a reliable playmaker as the regular season waned. Isiah Pacheco is being featured more in the run game, with an average of 17 carries per contest over the Chiefs' last eight games, compared to 13.5 carries in his first eight appearances.
Finally, Kansas City's defense deserves far more attention, as the unit is the league leader by allowing only seven points per game during the second half. When Kansas City's postseason experience and the spread are added to the mix, the Chiefs are an easy choice.
Chiefs 24, Ravens 21
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