The AFC Road To The Super Bowl Comes Through Baltimore

Michael Owens. Getty Images.

My brother in Christ, what an asskicking the Ravens laid on the Dolphins today. Hung a big ol 56 burger, a home franchise record no less, and sent Miami on their merry way with a pitiful 19 points and a massive L at the Bank.

I really didn't expect things to go that way. The Dolphins are a good football team, and my opinion of that hasn't changed. They showed early in this game an ability to move the ball down the field and really should've been up 14-7 had Tyreek not dropped an easy touchdown on a 3rd and goal. If he grabs that pass, maybe the entire narrative of this game is different.

Problem is…. he dropped the pass and everything from there on was Baltimore. We suffociated the ever hecking shit out of that team. What had been 15 yard slants in the middle of the field suddenly became a lot more difficult to come by. Tua's timing started to get disrupted, there were pump fakes galore as he tried to buy time for his receivers to get open, his outlets to the outside stopped becoming available, and pressure started to get home. Their pretty little play script went wayward and the men came out to play.

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens felt their way through their first couple drives and then they opened it up. Everybody got a piece today. Lamar was magnificent, as he has been all season. The difference today was that he held nothing back. Todd Monken and Lamar have spent most the year feeling each other out, and now they're firing on all cylinders. They did whatever they wanted with the Dolphins and honestly….. that goes beyond this week. They did whatever they wanted with a REALLY good Niners defense last week too once they got out of the script and took what was there.

Since that ABSURD safety where the ref tripped Lamar last week these are the offensive drive results:

vs SF:    FG, Touchdown, FG, FG,  Touchdown, Touchdown, FG… (game in hand 33-12) punt, punt, kneeldowns

vs MIA: Touchdown, Punt, Touchdown, Touchdown, Touchdown, (End of Half kneeldown), Touchdown, Fumble, Punt, Touchdown, Touchdown, Touchdown, kneeldowns….

If you're keeping score, that's 20 drives that you can consider legitimate, and those accounted for 11 touchdowns, 4 FG's, 4 punts, and one fumble near midfield. Insane. There's been a feeling out process as the year has progressed, but the offense we all imagined with Lamar and Todd Monken is here and it's real. They're dangerous as fuck and there's no avoiding it.

If you think that's terrifying, look at the other side of the ball. Roquan Smith is the second coming of 52 in Baltimore. There's no hiding it. He brings the same energy and leadership, he's ferocious bringing down ballcarriers, and that pick today was the same type of heroics we saw 52 come up with time and time again in 2000. There's no hiding it. Roquan is home in Baltimore and I cannot believe Chicago gave up a 2nd rounder for us to have this guy. He's brought the defense to an unreal level and they showed it today… WITHOUT Kyle Hamilton no less.

It's a beautiful thing…. Ravens really don't need to lift a finger for 3 weeks. 1 seed is alllllllll locked up and the AFC Championship runs thru them provided they take care of business. This city deserves that platform. Kyle Hamilton can get right for the divisional round and… oh yeah… this guy named Mark Andrews who just might be the best tight end in football?? A little birdie tells me he's tracking towards a return in 3 weeks…. just in time for a divisional round battle in Baltimore.

This team is special. If last week didn't tell you, now you know.

Let's rest up and then go win a championship.