Like it or not, Ravens just gave Patrick Mahomes more bulletin-board material

Oftentimes, we can boil the entirety of sports discourse into something approximating "they didn't believe in us!"

We love an underdog. We love to "overcome odds." Even the most believed-in team of all time needs a little extra motivation to get out of bed in the morning. Such was the case last week when Patrick Mahomes cited the collective lack of belief in Kansas City following the Chiefs' Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Of course... we all believe in the Chiefs. Even in a "down" season, the Chiefs were 11-6. The general consensus was that Kansas City didn't play like a contender, but we can't count out Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. That would be foolish. It is foolish. Clearly, the Chiefs do not abide by the normal rules of team evaluation so long as Mahomes is on the field.

Now, going into a tough AFC Championship Game matchup against the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens — who are, notably, favored in Las Vegas — Mahomes will be looking for more bulletin-board material to feed the Chiefs' flimsy underdog narrative. Yes, it's very hard to win back-to-back Super Bowls.

He may have received some fresh inspiration courtesy of Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith.

"No, I don’t think it’s a graduate-level course. I think it’s a course that has to be done and we’re going to get it done. That’s the message. It’s not about oh, this [or that] — he puts his pants on just like any other quarterback. Yes, he’s an elite quarterback, but at the end of the day, we’re an elite defense. And that’s our job — to stop the opposing offense. That’s our job play-in and play-out and that’s what we’ve got to do."

We can know fully expect Mahomes to reference his phD after a win on Sunday.

Roquan Smith gives Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs bulletin board material

Frankly, Smith's comments aren't all that incendiary. He is complimenting Mahomes, acknowledging his greatness, but also acknowledging the Ravens' collective success on defense. That is the mentality any team has to have. The Ravens can't beat the Chiefs unless the Ravens believe they can beat the Chiefs.

Baltimore was better in the regular season, 13-4 with the NFL's No. 6 defense in terms of yards allowed per game. Notably, the Chiefs' defense is No. 2, which could end up as the storyline Sunday night. This game will be defined by battles in the trenches and in coverage, just as much as it will be defined by the battle of MVP quarterbacks.

Smith is coming off his second Pro Bowl nomination. He has earned the right to talk up himself and the Ravens' defense. He handled this particular statement perfectly — he doesn't sound too cocky, but he also doesn't build up Mahomes into some titanic, unbeatable force. That won't stop the Chiefs from reading it as disrespect.

We will see if the Ravens' elite defense can topple the NFL's premier elite quarterback. This figures to be a highly entertaining game. We can rest assured that quality football will be played on Sunday.