Taylor Swift is heading to the Super Bowl, or rather, her and Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Following a thrilling 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, No. 15, No. 87, and their pop star sensation will lead the Kingdom into battle in Las Vegas against either the Cinderella Detroit Lions or the bent-on-revenge bunch known as the San Francisco 49ers.
We can't be surprised. Yes, there were several up and down moments for this team this year coming off their Super Bowl win over the Eagles. Wide receiver issues and how would they handle the pressure of repeating given their last attempt failed on the biggest stage in sports (Super Bowl LV vs Tampa Bay).
Mahomes finished the game 30-39 for 241 yards and one touchdowns with ZERO turnovers. Meanwhile, Kelce passed Jerry Rice for most postseason receptions in NFL history. Oh yes, and he also had a touchdown shot that immediately panned to Swift in the stands. Kelce's only flaw? Throwing Justin Tucker's helmet aside and letting Mahomes throw away the kicking devices. Stay classy KC.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, and the Swifites (Chiefs) stun the Ravens and advance to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas
Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson, who may be named league MVP, had one of his worst outings. Outside of a spectacular pass that was tossed in the air and catching it and going for a first down, the former Louisville Heisman trophy winner was harassed all afternoon by the KC defense. 20-37 for 272 yards and one miraculous touchdown throw to Zay Flowers, and a crushing red-zone interception late in the 4th.
Speaking of Flowers, the taunting on L'Jarius Sneed combined with fumbling the ball courtesy of Sneed instead of just going down? Not a good look for the rookie. Good plays followed up by several bad plays. It's going to be a long offseason for Flowers knowing he had good moments but several maturity issues ruined what was supposed to be a good day for the Ravens.
Oh, and about that Ravens defense? They did well in the second half after a lethargic first half, but too many penalties in the second half proved to be costly. Allowing zero points in the second half is tremendous, but again, penalties. Some may have been a bit alarming, but again, letting it get to that position is not at all acceptable.
So much for that color scheme. Purple all around? Yeah, that wasn't going to fly three years in a row. Plus, Vegas? Swifties? It's a match made in heaven. Plus, stories and narratives seem to matter more than production on the field. Also, hot takes are now considered the unbreakable truth. Whatever it is, the Chiefs are back in the big game.
It's going to be a cruel summer for the Ravens. They really had a chance to shake it off, it being the Chiefs and for Lamar Jackson, it was a chance to get to the big stage, but he had to know the Chiefs were trouble when they walked in. The All-22 footage from this game won't be pretty. There wont be a love story for the folks in black and purple. Instead, it's KC to the big game, the NFC Champion to be determined.