Unless you’re Marlon Humphrey, you probably weren’t expecting a Super Bowl blowout on Sunday night. The Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 win in New Orleans was one of the NFL’s most lopsided in recent memory, emphatically denying the Kansas City Chiefs’ historic three-peat bid.

Getting there, of course, is half the battle. Humphrey and the Ravens could only watch from home, their season having ended painfully, yet again, in the divisional round.

The Ravens aren’t far off the championship pace. Already, they’re among the favorites, yet again, to get to next season’s Super Bowl. But as their offseason kicks into high gear over the next month, here are three lessons they can learn from Super Bowl LIX.

Ravens’ turnover habits need to change

In quarterback Lamar Jackson’s seven playoff starts since he became a full-time starter in 2019, the Ravens’ defense has forced one turnover. In a six-minute span in the second quarter Sunday, the Eagles forced two.

Of all the baffling playoff trends that have upended the Ravens in recent years, none have been as ruinous as their turnover habits. Over Jackson’s past four playoff seasons (2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024), the Ravens ranked fourth in the NFL in combined turnover margin (plus-32) in the regular season, committing just 63 (third fewest) and coming up with 95 takeaways (sixth most) in 66 games, according to TruMedia. Their overall expected points added on turnovers was 174.8, second highest in the NFL in that span.

The playoffs have been a different story. Over those four postseasons, the Ravens ranked last in turnover margin (minus-10) — second to last in both giveaways (11) and takeaways (one). Their EPA on turnovers was minus-58.6, about 20 points worse than the second-to-last Pittsburgh Steelers.

The blame should be shared on both sides of the ball. Turnovers are a largely random occurrence, but the Ravens’ defense has forced just three fumbles in those seven playoff games, recovering none. On offense, Jackson’s interception rate has surged from 1.5% to 2.8%, and his fumble rate from 1.6% to 3.5%. The league average for both in 2024 was 2.2% and 3.2%, respectively.

“Turnovers play a factor. Penalties play a factor,” Jackson said after the Ravens’ loss to the Bills last month, in which he finished with two turnovers and Buffalo won the turnover battle 3-0. “Tonight, the turnovers ... we can’t have that [expletive]. That’s why we lost the game, because as you can see, we’re moving the ball wonderfully. It’s just, hold on to the [expletive] ball. I’m sorry for my language. I’m just tired of this.”

Elite pass rushes require investment

At halftime Sunday, the Eagles had three sacks and a 47% pressure rate, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. They finished the game with six sacks, a career high for Mahomes. And they didn’t blitz once.

Few luxuries in the NFL compare to a productive four-man pass rush. Philadelphia ranked fourth in the league this season in pressure rate with four or fewer pass rushers (35.5%). Its average time to pressure was 2.46 seconds, the league’s second-fastest rate.

The Ravens’ pass rush didn’t hurt for production, ranking second in the NFL in sacks (54), but its underlying metrics without the blitz were closer to average: 19th in pressure rate (31.3%) and 13th in average time to pressure (2.58 seconds).

A dominant four-man pass rush isn’t a prerequisite for Super Bowl success. The Chiefs ranked outside of the top 10 in pressure rate in 2022 and 2023, when they won back-to-back NFL championships. But only Kansas City employs Steve Spagnuolo as its defensive coordinator, a genius at scheming up unblocked pass rushers with his simulated pressures and zone blitzes.

The challenge for the Ravens, and every other would-be contender, is building up their pass rush through the draft as well as the Eagles have. Outside linebacker Josh Sweat (6.5 sacks in 2024) was a fourth-round pick in 2018. Defensive lineman Milton Williams (five sacks) was a third-round pick in 2021. Defensive lineman Jalen Carter (4.5 sacks) was a first-round pick in 2023, as was outside linebacker Nolan Smith (6.5 sacks). Altogether, they counted just $19.1 million against the cap in 2024, according to Spotrac, or well under a million per sack recorded.

The Ravens have found hits in the draft and bargains in free agency, but they’ll need more. Outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy (12.5 sacks) and Odafe Oweh (10 sacks) are coming off breakthrough seasons and heading into the final year of their deals. Defensive lineman Travis Jones and outside linebackers David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac, all recent Day 2 picks, have combined for just 7.5 career sacks in their seven combined seasons. Nnamdi Madubuike (6.5 sacks), now one of the NFL’s highest-paid defensive linemen, is the only high-impact pass rusher locked down for the foreseeable future.

With the depth of this year’s defensive line class, the Ravens can find help up-front in the draft. But pass rush help is at a premium. So is offensive line help. The longer the Ravens wait, the harder it’ll be for them to add either.

Kansas City seems vulnerable

The Chiefs didn’t look like the NFL’s most complete team Sunday. They didn’t look like the NFL’s most complete team for much of the 2024 season, either. But having quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive lineman Chris Jones, two of the league’s most overpowering forces, working in concert with coach Andy Reid and Spagnuolo, two of the league’s best play-callers, makes up for a lot of shortcomings.

Just not enough of them, apparently. The Eagles did to Kansas City what the Ravens couldn’t in the 2023 AFC championship game or in Week 1 this past season, overwhelming the Chiefs in the trenches and forcing Mahomes into costly turnovers.

It’s probably not a sign of things to come. Kansas City is already favored to get back to its fourth straight Super Bowl next season. With another AFC West title, the Chiefs might not have to worry about leaving the comforts of Arrowhead Stadium in the playoffs. But there’s at least hope that the conference’s other contenders are closing the gap.

Kansas City is poised to lose Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith in free agency. Starting linebacker Nick Bolton, the Chiefs’ leading tackler in 2024, and starting safety Justin Reid, one of Spagnuolo’s most important leaders, are also pending free agents. So are wide receivers Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and DeAndre Hopkins, both of whom might command multiyear deals worth at least $10 million annually, along with JuJu Smith-Schuster. Wide receiver Rashee Rice is expected to complete his recovery from LCL surgery by the start of training camp, but his first year back after the season-ending knee injury could be slow going.

Oh, and Travis Kelce, one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history and Mahomes’ most reliable running mate over their eight years together in Kansas City, is reportedly undecided about whether he’ll play in 2025.

Statistically, the Chiefs profiled as a good team this past regular season, not a great one, ranking just eighth in overall efficiency, according to FTN, behind the Ravens (No. 1), Buffalo Bills (No. 4) and even the division rival Denver Broncos (No. 6). On paper, they could be even worse in 2025.

Of course, so could the Ravens. Replacing left tackle Ronnie Stanley and left guard Patrick Mekari, two of their top pending free agents, wouldn’t be easy. Free-agent spending will likely be limited as the Ravens focus their resources on in-house deals. And the injury luck that the team enjoyed for much of the season will probably fade in 2025.

For now, all that general manager Eric DeCosta and the Ravens can do is look ahead. Another eight-plus months separate them from another regular-season trip to Kansas City, and even a win there wouldn’t be enough to rubber-stamp their supremacy. The Ravens’ blowout win over the visiting Bills in Week 4, and subsequent divisional-round stumble at Highmark Stadium, was proof of that.

Other challengers await in the AFC, especially if the Cincinnati Bengals can give quarterback Joe Burrow a passable defense, if the Houston Texans can give quarterback C.J. Stroud a functioning offensive line, and if the Los Angeles Chargers can give quarterback Justin Herbert suitable weapons. But that’s life in the Mahomes era: You can look like the best team in the AFC. You can beat some of the best teams in the AFC. And yet you still might be no match for the Chiefs' inevitable playoff magic.