BALTIMORE — After the Baltimore Ravens' 34-10 divisional playoff victory over the Houston Texans last week, kicker Justin Tucker's wife asked him if there was a lot of noise on the field.
“Because it felt like the stadium was literally shaking,” said Amanda Tucker, who was sitting in the stands with guard Kevin Zeitler's wife. “I don't think I've ever experienced a stadium like that.”
When the Ravens host the first AFC Championship Game (3 p.m. ET, CBS) in their 28-year history on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will have to compete with the 12th man at M&T Bank Stadium, and that means around 120 decibels, which was the noise level measured on Saturday and is comparable to that of a jet plane taking off.
The Ravens believe their crowd contributed to seven penalties by the Texans: five false starts, one delay of game and one trespass.
When asked if fans were louder in the postseason, Baltimore wide receiver Zay Flowers said, “Yeah, didn't you notice? Houston noticed. We have the best fans in the country. It's hard to get into 'The Bank'”. because the fans were brave.”
The Chiefs are one of the most disciplined teams in terms of pre-snap penalties. Kansas City has been penalized five times for false starts on the road, the third fewest in the league.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes knows that playing against the Ravens will be a different test. On “ManningCast” in November, Mahomes said there were only two stadiums that required him to use silent counts: M&T Bank Stadium and Lumen Field in Seattle.
“It was so loud in those stadiums that the tackles couldn't hear me,” Mahomes said.
After the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Mahomes said, “That stadium is going to be spectacular. We're excited for the challenge.”
Mahomes isn't the only quarterback who has had issues with noise from Ravens fans. This season, opponents had more false starts (19) and delay-of-game penalties (nine) at M&T Bank Stadium (regular season and playoffs) than anywhere else in the NFL.
“At this level, sometimes you can take the fans and the atmosphere for granted. It's not the same across the league,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “Coming from the south, coming from the SEC atmosphere, you get used to that. The Ravens atmosphere is no different than that.”
The noise level is expected to increase further on Sunday. This is the first AFC Championship Game in Baltimore in 53 years. The last time it was celebrated in this city was 53 years ago, when the Baltimore Colts hosted the Oakland Raiders.
Earlier this week, Ravens coach John Harbaugh instructed fans as if they were his players, telling them to eat well and get a good night's rest to be ready for the game.
“I feel like [the crowd noise] “It's been going up all season,” Hamilton said. “It's going to be even louder, even more chaotic on Sunday. I'm excited to see it.”
