Preseason always feels like forever in the NFL, but we finally have football liftoff. The season opens with a bang, with the Ravens traveling to Arrowhead to take on the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
It's a big matchup for both teams, especially when it comes to the quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes will once again be looking to spark the Chiefs offense into overdrive with an underpowered cast of receivers, while Lamar Jackson will try to prove he can win against Kansas City with a retooled running game led by a potential powerhouse free agent signing.
Game Details
Fixture: Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs
Date and Time: September 5, 2024 @ 8:20 PM EST
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City MO
Baltimore Ravens Team Review
The Ravens had a fairly quiet camp for the most part, especially compared to recent years. No Lamar Jackson contract controversy, no back and forth between Jackson, coach John Harbaugh and team management. The offense is safely installed, so the big question is whether Jackson can recharge it after the running game stalled last year in the postseason against the Chiefs.
He'll have help from newly-signed Derrick Henry, who bulldozed NFL defenses for years with the Titans. The question with Henry is how much he has left in the tank as he turns 30, not to mention that issue of whether any running back who's not a dual threat speed merchant can really do the kind of damage that Baltimore needs.
It was the Chiefs who stopped Baltimore's title charge in its tracks, holding the Ravens to 10 points in a surprisingly low-scoring 17-10 victory. The win came after months of offensive dominance for the Ravens, but at least they won't have to wait to see where their offense stands against their biggest opponent.
Kansas City Chiefs Team Review
The Chiefs once again open their title defense with serious issues on the offensive side of the ball, despite the presence of Patrick Mahomes to work his QB magic.
The issue isn't about Mahomes, of course. It's about a questionable cast of wide receivers who consistently stopped drives with critical drops, leaving Mahomes frustrated when he had to throw to anyone other than favorite target Travis Kelce.
On defense, Kansas City retained pivotal edge rusher Chris Jones, so the front seven will once be intact. The Chiefs lost shutdown corner L'Jarius Sneed to the Titans, though, and that be an issue going forward if the Chiefs have to lean hard on their defense for a second year in a row.
Who to Watch
Baltimore Ravens
Normally we'd select Jackson here, but Henry represents a potentially seismic shift in the Ravens power running game, so he's the main man to keep an eye on. He'll be especially dangerous if he still has enough burst to turn the corner, which would enhance the threat of Jackson delivering last-second pitch-outs or swing passes that could quickly turn into big plays.
If Henry still has it, it will be up to Jackson to do something with it. The idea behind signing the Tennessee power back was to open the offense against teams like Kansas City with a front seven that can take the run game away.
Kansas City Chiefs
Who steps up at wide receiver for Kansas City? As great as Kelce has been for the last few years, he's got some serious mileage on the odometer, so this is the time for a new deep threat to emerge and replace Tyreek Hill, who's now making big plays and earning big bucks in Miami.
The guy we'll all be watching is new wideout Xavier Worthy, a Texas product who posted a blazing time at the combine. Yes, we know Worthy is just a rookie, but Mahomes has been known to elevate the performance of everyone around him, and if he can hit some shot plays to Worthy it would go a long way toward restoring confidence in the offense in Chiefs Kingdom.
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