The Baltimore Ravens’ defense will have their work cut out for them against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ explosive offense. Mahomes had another sensational game against the Oakland Raiders last week, throwing for 443 yards and four touchdowns. But upon further review, nearly all of that damage was done in the second quarter when the Raiders’ defense seemed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, only to wake up somewhere in the third quarter in a proverbial ditch wondering where that giant red and white truck came from.
The Ravens will have to do better than they did last week but they have the capability of shutting Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense down.
Here are three key ways Baltimore’s defense can have success against Kansas City. Also make sure to check out the three offensive keys for the Ravens in this game
Getting to Patrick Mahomes
While it seems a tall order for any defense to truly make Mahomes uncomfortable in the passing game, the Ravens’ defense seemed to come as close to anyone last season when the two teams squared off. With a new cast anchoring this year’s defense, the Ravens have to find a way to get pressure on Mahomes, coming away with sacks and forcing errant throws.
The Ravens’ pass rush is still a question mark, one that pundits aren’t fully on board with. Outside linebacker Matt Judon continues to be the bright spot and seems capable of generating enough pressure consistently that could provide the Ravens with their best chance of keeping Mahomes off-balance. But it may truly come down to defensive coordinator Don Martindale’s exotic schemes to get the job done. But Martindale will have to be cautious with how often he blitzes as Mahomes tends to find success more often than not when opposing teams bring the heat.
Generating interceptions
This proposition begins and ends with newly added safety Earl Thomas. The Ravens made a big move to acquire the ball-hawking All-Pro for his uncanny ability to disrupt any major passing play at a moment’s notice. Comparisons to one Ed Reed notwithstanding, Thomas’ presence in the backfield should hopefully give Mahomes pause as he thinks about unloading deep balls to his various receivers.
But Thomas won’t be alone in this effort. Yes, the Chiefs are without top wideout Tyreek Hill, but that doesn’t mean they are any less dangerous. If cornerback Marlon Humphry can put the breaks on wide receiver Sammy Watkins, it will be up to the rest of Baltimore’s corners to account for Demarcus Robinson and the other wide receivers.
There are a lot of questions surrounding the secondary after allowing Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to have his way on several big plays last week. But if the team can learn and adjust for whatever miscommunications they encountered against the Cardinals, one big play from the likes of Anthony Averett or Brandon Carr would be the difference today.
Accounting for Travis Kelce
While the Ravens have their own threat in tight end Mark Andrews, the Chiefs still have arguably the league’s most established player at the position in Kelce. Hopefully practicing against Andrews gives the Ravens all the planning they need for someone with Kelce’s skillset.
Containing him may cause Mahomes to look elsewhere, which could cause mistakes in the process. It’ll be a team effort to limit the amount of damage the All-Pro tight end can inflict but if the Ravens can bottle up Kelce’s efforts it should keep the Chiefs’ offense from getting into a rhythm, and maybe, more importantly, silencing the home crowd.
Getting off the field
Keeping the ball out of the hands of Mahomes may be as much a task for the Ravens’ offense as the defense, but limiting his plays on either side may likely be the true key for beating the Chiefs in Arrowhead. If the Ravens can force key three-and-outs and limit Mahomes’ big plays, there’s no doubt that the Ravens will come out on top this afternoon.
The weather may be a critical factor after downpours all morning have left Arrowhead stadium absolutely soaked. This could be an early-season gift from the “football gods” and if so, the Ravens’ defense must make the most of it.
