Baltimore Ravens – Kansas City Chiefs set for Game of Year on MNF
The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs are the two best teams in football. Slice it however you’d like, but those two AFC powers appear dominant heading into Week 3.
Now, the two sides meet in Baltimore for the first time since both Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson became starters in 2018. In the past two years, Kansas City has won both matchups, first an overtime classic at Arrowhead Stadium punctuated by an absurd 4th and 9 conversion late in the fourth quarter from Mahomes to Tyreek Hill.
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Last year, the foes met in Week 3, both sporting 2-0 marks — sound familiar? — in Kansas City. The Kansas City Chiefs won 33-28, although the score was closer than the game. Now, we get round three, and the Ravens are favored coming into the contest by 3.5 points in most books.
Considering the line and venue, Vegas sees this as an even match. One note: Mahomes has never lost as a pro by more than a touchdown. Tease, perhaps?
This game will largely come down to whether Baltimore pressures Mahomes. In there first meeting, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale brought pressure continuously — as is his style — and Mahomes ended up throwing for 377 yards in an overtime win. The most-recent affair saw Martindale back off some, and Mahomes threw for 374 yards despite the absences of Hill and Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher.
In short, Martindale must figure out how to get pressure without leaving some of the league’s best weapons in advantageous spots.
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Conversely, Kansas City needs to tackle better. The Chiefs have missed 29 tackles through two weeks, a figure only surpassed by the hideous New York Jets. If Steve Spagnuolo’s unit can’t tackle against Jackson and running back Mark Ingram, it’s going to be a very long, embarrassing night for Kansas City in Charm City.
Going into the game, the Ravens have played better than the Chiefs to this point in the campaign, with Baltimore’s resounding wins over the Cleveland Browns (38-6) and Houston Texans (33-16). Kansas City was equally dominant over the Texans (34-20) but struggled mightily against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers (23-20 OT).
Whoever wins will have a one-game lead over the other for the race towards AFC home-field advantage come January. More importantly, the victor also holds the tiebreaker, meaning the loser has to be at least two games better over the final 13 weeks. Not ideal considering the teams have combined to win 25 of their last 26 tilts, including the postseason.
