Baltimore Beatdown
Top takeaways from this year’s championship game that could help Baltimore finally get over the hump.
The Philadelphia Eagles just did what no team in the AFC was able to do in 2024, thwart the Kansas City Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat. Not only did they prevent Patrick Mahomes and company from making history by becoming the first team to ever win three straight Super Bowls, they did so in dominating fashion with a 40-22 victory on Sunday night.
As sweet as it probably was for the Baltimore Ravens and their fans to get to bask in the Chiefs’ demise in a big game for the first time in a while, they also probably couldn’t have helped but feel like a Lamar Jackson-led team would’ve fared. After all, the Ravens played the Eagles tougher in their regular season matchup than the Chiefs did in the ultimate game.
Nevertheless, there are still a handful of valuable lessons to glean from the result a lot of the world wanted to see that the Ravens could apply to help them get past the Chiefs and make it to the Super Bowl themselves. Here are the biggest takeaways they can learn from:
The Eagles won this game thanks in large part to their ability to dominate up front on both sides of the ball. They continuously pour resources into ensuring they are stout in the trenches and overwhelmingly deep.
While their offensive line wasn’t able to gain much traction on the ground with running back Saquon Barkley, they protected quarterback Jalen Hurts and allowed him to get loose with his legs. He accounted for 293 yards of total offense.
Their defensive front ultimately won them the game with the way they constantly harassed Mahomes, forced negative plays that didn’t allow the dink-and-dunk Chiefs offense to get into a rhythm and stuffed the run. As was the case in the Chiefs’ last Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, they are at their most vulnerable when their offensive line is compromised. It was both in 2024 with All-Pro guard being forced to play left tackle, inconsistent play from right tackle Jawaan Taylor and turnstile at left guard in Mike Caliendo.
The only true star power the Eagles have on their defensive line is 2024 Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Other than that, they have a deep depth chart filled with a blend of young ascending players and seasoned veterans who come with a wealth of experience and enough left in the tank to make a difference.
Investing resources to build through the trenches is nothing new to the Ravens, it’s a core organizational philosophy. Both the Eagles and Ravens front offices spend high-to-mid picks in the draft on edge defenders and or interior defensive linemen annually. Where they differ is Philadelphia is willing to open up their checkbooks more to bring in a high-end proven pass rushers from other teams...
