Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs: Preview, prediction and odds
Preview for Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium with two teams viewed as Super Bowl contenders in the unfamiliar position of attempting to get back to .500 following disappointing starts to the new campaign.
For Andy Reid’s Chiefs, the problem that dogged them throughout last season, even as they reached a third successive Super Bowl, has persisted, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes shackled by an anaemic offense.
Kansas City did at least claim a first win of the season last week as they saw off the New York Giants 22-9 on the road, but that success did little to win over the doubters that are growing in number amid the Chiefs’ continued struggles.
The Chiefs will need to find a way to put up points if the Ravens’ offense continues at its current pace.
Though they have tasted victory just once, the Ravens have scored 111 points through three games, with Baltimore’s chief problem that has led to a 1-2 start being a porous defense.
Indeed, the Ravens have surrendered an average of 5.8 yards per play this season, the seventh-most in the NFL. Against the run, the Ravens have surrendered 447 yards, the third-most in the league, and conceded a league-high seven rushing touchdowns.
Yet the Chiefs’ only run of 20 yards or more has come from Mahomes. Kansas City’s rushing attack is lacking in explosiveness and, as such, the Baltimore defense may see this matchup as a chance to get things back on track.
Kansas City’s defense has in recent seasons been the saving grace for the Chiefs as the offense has floundered. However, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit ranks 21st in the NFL in Expected Points Added per play, a measure of unit-wide efficiency that is, in essence, reflective of a defense’s ability to prevent the explosive play.
That ranking suggests the Chiefs will struggle to contain the Ravens’ diverse attack led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. If they cannot do so, the questions about the Chiefs will grow a lot more pointed in the coming days.
