Ravens, Chargers ready for rematch
Baltimore set to host playoff game for 1st time since 2012
BALTIMORE — It has been six years since the Ravens hosted a playoff game, so forgive Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda for forgetting protocol regarding the distribution of tickets.
“Somebody was asking me if we got tickets during the playoff games, and I couldn’t really remember,” he said this week. “I was like, ‘Uh, it’s been a little while.’ ”
The last time the Ravens were at home in the postseason was in 2012, when linebacker Ray Lewis and quarterback Joe Flacco engineered a 24-8 victory over the Colts to launch a surprising Super Bowl run.
Lewis is now in the Hall of Fame, and Flacco will be on the bench when rookie Lamar Jackson and the Ravens (10-6) face the Chargers (12-4) on Sunday.
It’s a rematch of a pivotal game two weeks ago, when the Ravens took control of the AFC North with a 22-10 victory that dropped the Chargers to the No. 6 seed. The Ravens’ topranked defense limited quarterback Philip Rivers to 181 yards passing with two interceptions.
“You know they’re going to come back with changes, with wrinkles, and they’re going to play that much harder because they know what happened the first game,” said Ravens safety Eric Weddle, who played nine years with the Chargers before signing with the Ravens in 2016.
The game plan is important, but minimizing errors is what really counts.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a big secret as to what everyone is doing,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “Whoever executes the best is going to win.”
If experience means anything at quarterback, the Chargers have the edge. Rivers, 37, has been in the NFL since 2004, and
this will be his 10th playoff start.
Jackson, a junior at Louisville just a year ago, has been a starter for less than two months. At 21, he will be the youngest quarterback to start in the postseason.
But the Ravens are 6-1 with Jackson as their starter, and his ability to run has turned their offense into a very efficient unit.
“There’s no substitute for experience,” Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. “Now sometimes, it’s the quality of experience as well. Look at all the things he’s done — a very mature young man for that age in many, many ways. And, he’s a very confident guy.”
Long time, no see: This is the Chargers’ first postseason appearance since the 2013 season and second since 2010.
“When you’re younger you think this is it — you get a shot every year,” Rivers said. “Then when you go once in the last nine or 10 years, you realize how hard it is to get in.”
The Ravens are coming off a three-year playoff drought.
“Playing these games, this was what you hoped for,” Ravens linebacker Matthew Judon said.