Five others to watch
By Cordell Woodland
Special to the AFRO
The AFC’s top-seeded Baltimore Ravens (13-4) welcome the Kansas City Chiefs (11-6) into M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 28 for the AFC Championship game (3 p.m./CBS). It’ll be the first time Baltimore has hosted the AFC Championship since January of 1971. The Chiefs are hoping to reach the Super Bowl for the second straight year while the Ravens are trying to get back to the big game for the first time since 2012.
All eyes will focus on the quarterback matchup as we’re treated to maybe the top two guys at that position going head-to-head. Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes will demand plenty of attention but this game is filled with impact players all over the field. Here are five impact players you should keep an eye out for on Jan. 28.
Justin Madubuike
Justin Madubuike has been a force all year for the league’s best defense and there’s a good chance he will make his presence felt on Sunday. Madubuike led all interior defensive ends in sacks (13.0) and has made an impact in the run game as well. Last week against the Texans, Madubuike led the Ravens in quarterback pressures (7) and quarterback hits (2).
Madubuike, who was voted second-team all-pro is having the best year of his career at the right time as he’ll be a free agent when the season ends. Madubuike has an opportunity to add to his market value with a huge game against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce has been the top target of Patrick Mahomes for years, so the Ravens will have to know where he is at all times. Kelce didn’t have his usual statistical season but he’s still the most dangerous player next to Mahomes in that offense. The Bills saw that up close in their loss to Kansas City last week as Kelce pulled in five catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Kelce will face multiple defenders on Sunday. Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton spoke about the challenge of defending Kelce. “He is a great player in our league,” he said. “He has been a great player for as long as I can remember, as long as I have been watching him at this level. He has earned every ounce of respect that he has received until this point, and it will be a challenge.” While some fans will be paying more attention to Kelce’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, the Ravens will put their focus on Kelce.
Mark Andrews
Mark Andrews is undoubtedly Lamar’s favorite target and it showed early in the season as Andrews collected six touchdown catches in 10 games. His season was cut short due to an ankle injury against the Bengals, which caused him to spend the rest of the season on Injured Reserve. That all changed on Jan. 26 when Andrews was activated off of IR and is slated to return on Sunday.
Andrews updated the media about health, saying, “I’m feeling healthy, feeling good. I’m excited to help this team in this upcoming game.” This Ravens offense has been hot over the last couple of months without Andrews, thanks to the evolution of Isaiah Likely. The challenge will be to find a way to get Andrews involved without taking away from Likely’s contributions.
Isiah Pacheco
Isiah Pacheco is a name that most people probably didn’t know before last season’s postseason. The 5-foot-10, 216-pound running back who was drafted by the Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft burst onto the scene in the second half of last season. He has maybe the most violent running style in the NFL, which should make for an entertaining game considering he’s going against the most violent defense in the NFL.
Pacheco was asked if he runs angrily and answered, “Absolutely.” Last week against Buffalo, Pacheco produced 97 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Ravens Linebacker Roquan Smith said, “I tip my hat off to anybody that runs the ball hard, and who’s bringing it every single game every single play. I love that, because at the end of the day, one is going to have to break, and I don’t plan to be on that breaking end.”
Justice Hill
The Ravens were yet again the NFL’s most dominant rushing offense as they led the league averaging 229 rushing yards a game. Justice Hill, however, has been one of the biggest unsung heroes on the team with the way he’s delivered. The Ravens lost running back J.K. Dobbins in the first game of the season and then lost running back Keaton Mitchell against Jacksonville.
Hill had a career-high 66 yards on the ground in last week’s win over Houston and he’ll be a big focal point again this week against that vulnerable run defense of Kansas City. When asked about how he’s performed, Hill said, “I’m always ready for any opportunity that comes my way.”
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