The Kansas City Chiefs have come to the boil at the PERFECT time… Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Co were unplayable in their 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens – and it will take a lot to stop their relentless march to glory

Last week in Buffalo, as Kansas City’s leaders thawed in the visitors’ locker room, thoughts turned to Maryland.

Word has it that among Andy Reid’s players, the conversation turned from the Bills to Baltimore and especially to the weather: Patrick Mahomes and Co. wanted to know if another Sunday freeze would happen.

As it turned out, they were met by rain and dark skies, but M&T Bank Stadium was ablaze: a storm of noise and emotion. At one point during this pulsating AFC championship game, a call went out over the loudspeaker: a fire had been reported and an evacuation was ordered.

That didn’t stop this game and unfortunately for the Ravens, nothing could stop these Chiefs from advancing. This is a special team and the defending Super Bowl champions have now survived both the cold and the kettle.

They came to the boil at the perfect time and they don’t have to worry about catching a cold on the next part of this journey. They’re headed to the desert in Las Vegas and a fourth Super Bowl in five years.

For the Ravens, the wait for a shot at football’s biggest prize will mark a twelfth year. By the end, many fans and much of the life had left this place.

Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson had predicted a “heavyweight” battle with Patrick Mahomes: the MVP-in-waiting and the best quarterback of the past half-decade to go “toe to toe.” It proved a fascinating battle and the slippery Jackson produced flashes of magic. The only problem? Unlike boxing, football has no rules against choking your opponent. And on Sunday, the Ravens were starved for a long time: They had nearly 15 fewer minutes of possession than Kansas City. And when they did, the Chiefs defense didn’t relent.

Mahomes was masterful with the ball, especially early on. He controlled this play, while Jackson grew increasingly angry on the sidelines. The Ravens defense eventually battened down the hatches, but by then the Chiefs’ lead was 10 and that proved to be enough. Travis Kelce was outstanding, making NFL history with 11 receptions and the opening touchdown.

Forget the circus that now follows the tight end around the country; Kelce remains a main attraction in his own right. Time and time again, he was free to dig Mahomes out of a hole. Jackson has now lost four of his five meetings with the Chiefs quarterback. His wait for a first Super Bowl continues. Being named MVP will be little consolation after a season that promised so much.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh was asked earlier this week if he had a message for the 71,000 fans who had secured their seats here since 1971 for the Ravens’ first AFC Championship Game.

On Thursday, the cheapest seat cost $764; one supporter spent $73,000 on a pair. Michael Phelps was among the crowd. So did Taylor Swift and the Kelce clan. And yet the coach’s rallying cry, Harbaugh emphasized, was not much different from what he would tell his players: rest and eat a good meal before the game. Well, no one can accuse Raven’s trailer of forgetting to fill up.

On Sunday morning, flags flying from car windows in downtown Baltimore began to fray in the wind and rain. But fans still poured into the lanes and lots surrounding M&T Bank Stadium. They took shelter under tents and under the viaduct. Before noon they lit Cuban cigars.

The atmosphere began to bubble long before the Navy seals fell from the sky and Jackson emerged through the smoke to the chant of “MV-P.” All because Baltimore believed this was the day he would be proven wrong by those who wrote off this quarterback and this city.

The Ravens had already exorcised some demons from 2019, when Jackson was named MVP and Baltimore secured the No. 1 seed but fell in the divisional round. They had already dominated both the 49ers and the Lions.

But this was a different challenge: against a team blessed with the suffocating swagger of inevitability and a coach who has known the Harbaughs for four decades. Winning these games has become routine in Kansas City.

Not many fazes Mahomes, Kelce and Co. But Justin Tucker did manage to disrupt the features during warmups: the kicker’s attempt to practice close to the visitors prompted Kelce to throw away his helmet and Mahomes to kick away his stand.

The two then teamed up again, on an ominous first drive that saw Mahomes send his team down the field and end with Kelce in the end zone. This place was stunned into silence and with almost half of the first quarter over, Jackson had only gotten three shots. It turns out it didn’t take much more for him to relight the blue touch paper.

After the Chiefs immediately forced yet another fourth loss in Baltimore territory, the quarterback took matters into his own hands. He saw a gap and rushed 21 meters further. Two plays later, Jackson freed himself from the clutches of Leo Chanal and then dropped a 30-yard touchdown pass into the path of Zay Flowers.

The problem for Baltimore was giving Jackson enough time to weave his magic. With ten minutes left in the first half, the Ravens had made just nine offensive plays in less than four and a half minutes. The Chiefs, on the other hand, had taken 26 shots in almost 15 minutes.

By then, the visitors were ahead again thanks to Isiah Pacheco’s score – after Kelce had kept the drive alive with a crucial diving catch. So much for this Ravens defense swarming Mahomes.

Instead, it was Jackson who was scooped up for the game’s first turnover: Charles Omenihu got to the quarterback and forced a fumble deep in Baltimore territory. But not once but twice, Jackson flirted with disaster, but escaped unscathed.

First, his fumble went unpunished after Pacheco was stopped short on fourth down. And then, on the Ravens’ next drive, Jackson’s pass was sent into the air and caught by…Jackson. It was a way to get a first down.

It was just kind of unfortunate that the quarterback too often didn’t find his wideouts in the first half: At halftime, he was Baltimore’s second-leading receiver with 13 yards, and Baltimore was fortunate to be only 10 points behind. It took until the last minute of the third quarter before the home team threatened to eat away at their lead.

After a period of attrition and stalemate, Jackson found Flowers with a 54-yard bomb. But incredibly, the ride came to nothing. First, Flowers was punished for taunting. That cost Baltimore 15 yards. Moments later, when Flowers was destined to score, L’Jarius Sneed forced a fumble at the one-yard line. It was an excellent play.

The next time Baltimore had the ball in the end zone, Deon Bush was there to get it. With less than three minutes remaining, Tucker’s 43-yard field goal brought the Ravens within a score. But penalties continued to cost Harbaugh’s team.

Since 2013, the Ravens are the only NFL team not to erase a halftime deficit of more than 10 points. In reality, that run rarely seemed to end here. Unlike the Chiefs’ relentless march to glory.