Travis Kelce expects Ravens to bring a special intensity to game vs. Chiefs
Tight end Travis Kelce knows the pain the Ravens felt in January after the AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs.
Kelce, who is going into his 12th NFL season, has been part of three Super Bowl title teams. But he’s also been on the losing side of a Super Bowl and an AFC Championship Game.
“I think the entire team is definitely going to be fired up for this one, yes,” Kelce said of the Ravens on the latest episode of his New Heights podcast. “I’ve been in a situation where I’ve lost in the AFC Championship Game and a Super Bowl at that, and the next season, you come out pretty fired up and then ready to wreak havoc.
“We will have to match that intensity and make some plays, man. At the end of the day, when that ball is in the air, we’ve got to make the catch, and we’ve got to get the run game going. You heard (Baltimore’s) Roquan Smith earlier this week talk about how you stop them and you’ve got to make them one dimensional, is what he’s saying. And hopefully we have the full arsenal firing on all cylinders.”
Smith told reporters in Baltimore earlier this week that the Ravens hope to limit the Chiefs’ ground game and force quarterback Patrick Mahomes into more passing situations.
The Ravens have lost a few starters from last year’s top-ranked defense, but Kelce said the Chiefs offense will face a big challenge Thursday night.
“(Jadeveon) Clowney might not be there, but they still got edge rushers,” Kelce said. “They still have a have a great defensive line. They have a core of good linebackers. And then on top of that, they got one of the best secondaries, definitely one of the best safeties in Kyle Hamilton, who I think they’ll give even more responsibility to now that he’s even more comfortable in the league, having the unbelievable season he had last year.”
