Week 1 of the NFL season kicks off in a big way, as the Super Bowl 58 champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game.
The Chiefs are looking to defend their title and become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. The Ravens, meanwhile, are looking for their first Super Bowl appearance and title since 2012.
READ THIS | Ravens at Chiefs: Everything You Need to Know
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
- Start time: Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, 8:20 p.m. ET
- Channel: NBC
- Live stream options: Peacock
- Radio stations: Ravens Gameday Coverage, 106.5 The Wolf
- Starting QBs: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes
- Betting lines:
- Spread: KC -3
- Total: 46.5
- Moneyline: KC -155, BAL +130
The Chiefs’ offense is ready to soar with its starters in place. The injury to WR Hollywood Brown this preseason was a setback, but Kansas City did reunite with WR JuJu Smith-Schuster on a one-year, $1.21 million contract. He may not be ready in time for Week 1, but the Chiefs will use him to fill the void created by Brown’s injury.
However, this means that, outside of Smith-Schuster, Kansas City will rely heavily on youth in the WR room. The inexperience isn’t necessarily an issue with Patrick Mahomes under center, but many questions remain to be answered after the unit struggled last season.
Will Rashee Rice be able to replicate his impressive rookie season? Is the NFL going to suspend him due to his offseason behavior? Will rookie first-round WR Xavier Worthy be ready to step into the pace and play of the NFL regular season? Can one of Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, or Mecole Hardman finally step up to become a more reliable and consistent option in the passing game?
With so many uncertainties, the Chiefs can at least rest easy knowing they have the best quarterback in the league to diagnose and solve those issues. Also having a reliable running back in Isiah Pacheco and a tight end in Travis Kelce helps alleviate some of the stress on the receivers.
As for Baltimore, it’s time to see what one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks since Jackson joined the league in 2018 looks like with one of the greatest running backs of the past five years, Derrick Henry.
Since 2019, Henry has had three seasons rushing for more than 1,500 yards, including topping 2,000 yards in 2020. Since 2018, when he became the Tennessee Titans’ starting RB, he’s scored at least 10 touchdowns per season.
Baltimore has had a few running backs over Jackson’s career, but none have been as reliable or physical as Henry. In fact, for the last five years, Jackson has led Baltimore in rushing yards.
It’s clear that the Ravens’ front office targeted Henry in the offseason to take some weight off of Jackson’s back as he props up the offense on both sides.
While strengthening the offense was top of mind for Baltimore, the Ravens focused internally on the defensive side despite letting quite a few players walk. LB Patrick Queen signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jadeveon Clowney joined the Carolina Panthers, and safety Geno Stone joined the Cincinnati Bengals, just to name a few.
Baltimore did re-sign DE Justin Madubuike to a four-year, $98 million extension. However, losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and assistant head coach/defensive line coach Anthony Weaver to the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins, respectively, will radically change the look of the defense this season as Zach Orr gets promoted to the position.
With Jackson getting no snaps in the preseason, Baltimore hopes there’s no evident rust in Week 1.
Every win counts in a tightly contested division and conference, and getting the head-to-head win could be massive for tiebreakers at the end of the season, as the Ravens and Chiefs have found themselves jostling for seed position over the past few seasons.
Baltimore Ravens Key Stats
- The Ravens trailed for only 19.2% of their offensive snaps last season, the lowest rate since the 2019 Ravens (18.6%).
- Lamar Jackson was the third most accurate red zone passer in 2023 (67.2% complete, league average: 56.1%).
- Offense: The Ravens were the only team to score over 20 points in 13 or more games last regular season
- Defense: The Ravens allowed 26 TDs last season, the fewest for a year since we moved to a 17-game regular season.
Kansas City Chiefs Key Stats
- The Chiefs averaged 5.6 yards per play last season, their lowest rate during the Mahomes era (Mahomes era average: 6.2)
- Patrick Mahomes’ average depth of throw has declined every season. His 6.5 yards ranked ahead of only Joe Burrow among qualifiers last season.
- Offense: The Chiefs had the 4th worst turnover differential in the NFL last season (-11).
- Defense: The Chiefs owned the highest sack rate of 2023 (9.3%, NFL average: 7.1%).