(Photo: The Ringer)
AFC Game Of The Week
Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
Ravens: Everything was there for them in 2023 and I can say it felt like 2019 all over again. They won the AFC North for the first time since that 2019 season and were the top seed in the AFC Playoffs for just the second time in franchise history. I feel my biggest takeaway from all I saw with them a year ago was Lamar Jackson played a full season and he was healthy. They are a completely different team with him on the field compared to when he’s not there. I remember at one point, I heard Tony Romo say this group last year had no weaknesses and I echoed his sentiments and agreed with him. They could run the football, had the Offensive Line to overpower you, the Quarterback was healthy and had some nice weapons around him and of course, you can’t talk Baltimore Ravens football without mentioning the other side of the ball, the defense! This was hands down one of the three best defensive units I saw in football and what I loved was how they were able to mix things up and throw multiple defenders at you and ran those last-second blitzes in which they sent a Linebacker, Cornerback, or Safety in your direction along with making you a one-dimensional football team. Back to Lamar if I may. When he’s on the field, it’s great for the league as he’s one of the more exciting players to watch along with being one of the more difficult guys to try and take down due to his ability to extend plays with his feet and evade pressure. He was awarded his second league MVP and rightfully so. Let’s break this down a bit more. With Lamar on the field, the Ravens average 28 points per game, and without him, they average between 14 to 16 a game. That’s a huge drop. This off-season, Baltimore added Derrick Henry, and the thought of a two-time league MVP along with a former Offensive Player of the Year is scary. The defense this year should still be productive though they lost a few key pieces such as Jadeveon Clowney who was a big time run stopper for them in 23, Patrick Queen who’s a Steeler now, and Mike Macdonald, their former Defensive Coordinator who’s now a Head Coach. Tonight, they kick off their season against the team that eliminated them last year.
Chiefs: Let’s take it back to December 2023. They lost a Sunday night game to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau, lost a close game to the Buffalo Bills at home, squeaked by the New England Patriots in Foxboro, and on Christmas Day, the Las Vegas Raiders punched them in the mouth, and handed them a loss. That game against Las Vegas was the turning point if you ask me. After that, they just kept winning and winning football games. Once again, they won the AFC West which was more challenging for them because, in past years, they’ve breezed through and put the division away by early December. They hosted another playoff game this time as the third seed in the AFC which was the lowest seed they’ve been since Patrick Mahomes became the starting Quarterback. It was a year of firsts for the Kansas City Chiefs a year ago in my eyes because they had to travel and play a playoff game on the road, something they hadn’t done with Patrick, and each year before 2023, they clinched one of the top seeds in the AFC and always hosted the conference title game at Arrowhead. They would go on to handle business against the Buffalo Bills and got back to the AFC Championship game for the sixth consecutive season. Here’s an interesting fact. Since 2011, three Quarterbacks have been featured in the AFC title game and that’s Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes. When you doubted this team or counted them out, they found ways to make you eat your words and kept proving the doubters wrong. If you want a display of championship pedigree, look no further than the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs. I found myself comparing them to the 2018 New England Patriots a bit during the playoffs and I even compared them to the Golden State Warriors during the Kevin Durant days (I will explain). Just as that Warriors team did, they didn’t care where they were seeded in the playoffs and I picked that up with the Chiefs last year. For the first time in two decades, a team repeated as Super Bowl champions. They will begin the defense of their title tonight.
Ravens X-Factor: Kyle Hamilton– I followed him during his college days at Notre Dame and this guy has such a high ceiling. Kyle is one of the best Safeties in the league and is one of those magnetic forces to the football. This kid can tackle in the open field, rush the passer, and playback in coverage. He plays with a high IQ, motor, range, and physicality. When I watch Kyle, I see a confident football player with a relaxed mindset. He just appears to be floating on the field. He’s made comparisons to Kam Chancellor during his days in South Bend.
Chiefs X-Factor: Rashee Rice- This is a loaded Wide Receiver room for the Chiefs since Tyreek Hill was traded. There’s Mecole Hardman, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown when he comes back from injury and the number one receiving option, Rashee Rice. He’s that receiver that attacks the ball instead of waiting for it to come to him. Rashee is a “hands catcher” meaning he doesn’t attempt to make the catch with his body. His ability to move after the catch is insane and I see him growing more this year.
Final Thoughts: When these two last met, it was on January 28th for the AFC Championship. The Chiefs won that game, but it was how they won that impressed me. They went into Baltimore and simply just took it along with showing they could win the street fight-style football games. They were able to punch the Ravens in the mouth and Baltimore couldn’t recover as they wanted to. I always say this with the physical football teams and that’s the “bully doesn’t like to be bullied”. Patrick did just enough because the defense handled the rest. Months later, here we are and these two will kick off the season! We have the last two MVP’s here and the Chiefs will raise another Super Bowl banner. Also, Derrick Henry will be making his Ravens debut. In that AFC title game, the Ravens struggled to apply pressure on Mahomes, so that’s one thing I’ll be paying attention to in this one tonight. The Chiefs’ defense clogged up the running lanes of Lamar and dared him to throw the ball from the pocket. I said this in January and I’ll say it here again, double Kelce any chance you get if you’re Baltimore! Once he gets it going, they’ll continue to feed him the football. Arrowhead will be rocking tonight. Can the Ravens start quickly and take that crowd out of the game? You won’t beat this team kicking field goals so when the opportunity presents itself to score, capitalize upon that. I like the Chiefs to handle business in this one.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Ravens 20
