The 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs finally get their home opener as they host the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.
The Chiefs have kicked off the season with two double-digit road victories. They are getting the job done with explosive plays on offense and timely stops on defense. The K.C. offense has already featured many different contributors and has done a great job overcoming key injuries.
The Ravens have been impressive in their own right. They thrashed the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 by a score of 59-10 as quarterback Lamar Jackson threw five touchdown passes, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Last week Baltimore secured a home win over the Arizona Cardinals 23-17.
This will be a matchup of two AFC powerhouses with contrasting styles. K.C. will be airing it out for big plays, while the Ravens will play the ground-and-pound, ball-control offense. Let’s see what it will take for another Chiefs’ victory and a 3-0 start.
CHIEFS/RAVENS HISTORY
The Chiefs lead the all-time series over the Ravens with a 5-4 record, including one postseason game. The last matchup between these two teams was a thriller that K.C. won 27-24 in overtime last season.
via the NFL’s official YouTube channel
The Ravens took a one-touchdown lead with just over four minutes left in the game. Their defense forced the Chiefs into a do-or-die fourth-and-9, which K.C. converted on an amazing throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to receiver Tyreek Hill. This game also featured the most famous no-look pass from Mahomes.
RAVENS’ KEY ADDITIONS
S Earl Thomas
RB Mark Ingram
WR Marquise Brown
OLB Jaylon Ferguson
LB Pernell McPhee
RAVENS’ KEY SUBTRACTIONS
QB Joe Flacco
LB C.J. Mosley
S Eric Weddle
OLB Terrell Suggs
OLB Za’Darius Smith
WR John Brown
WR Michael Crabtree
RAVENS’ COACHING/SCHEMES
John Harbaugh is in his 12th season as Ravens head coach and has a decorated resume. He has over 100 regular-season wins, seven postseason appearances and a win in Super Bowl XLVII to cap the 2012 season. Harbaugh cut his teeth as a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach under Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Offensive scheme
Greg Roman was named Baltimore’s offensive coordinator this offseason. He was their tight ends coach the previous two seasons. He has six seasons of experience as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills.
Roman’s experience with former quarterback Colin Kaepernick was a factor in Roman being promoted. Like Jackson, Kaepernick was a very mobile quarterback with a strong arm. Jackson already has 126 rushing yards on the season.
Roman is a run game guru. His offense features a mix of zone reads, misdirection and power-based pull runs out of various formations. He loves to use two- and even three-tight-end sets. Three of the top four leaders in receptions this season for the Ravens are tight ends. Running backs Mark Ingram Gus Edwards are one-cut runners who can immediately get downhill.
After establishing the running game, Jackson will go over the top with play-action. He has a big arm and will not hesitate to chuck it deep. Marquise Brown is a speedy receiver who the Ravens drafted this offseason and has already made an impact on the deep passing game.
Defensive scheme
After spending the previous seven seasons as the Ravens linebackers coach, Don Martindale was promoted to defensive coordinator last season. In 2018 Baltimore had the No. 5-ranked pass defense, the No. 4-ranked run defense and the No. 1-ranked total defense in the NFL.
It also had the second-best scoring defense in the league, allowing just 17.9 points per game. It’s tough to find a more well-rounded defense than that. The Ravens had sporadic success against K.C.’s offense last season but still surrendered 27 points.
Martindale is one of the most aggressive coordinators in the league in terms of blitzing. He can be so aggressive because of the playmakers he has in the secondary. Cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Marlon Humphrey are a solid duo, and safety Earl Thomas is one of the best free safeties of the last decade.
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RAVENS’ KEY PLAYERS
QB Lamar Jackson
Jackson has set the NFL ablaze through the first two games of the season. He is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes with seven and he is the first player in NFL history to throw for over 250 yards and rush for 120 yards in a regular-season game.
It remains to be seen if Jackson can sustain this pace throughout an entire season and against elite competition, but there is no questioning that he is one of the premier athletes in the league today. If he truly has elevated his game to the next level, he’ll be an MVP candidate.
WR Marquise Brown
The Ravens selected Brown with the 25th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Most said he was a one-trick pony who could only run fly routes, but he’s looked very well rounded thus far. Brown is third in the NFL in receiving yards, averaging a whopping 19.4 yards per catch.
TE Mark Andrews
Andrews worked his way up the tight end depth chart last season and had a very solid rookie year with 34 receptions for 552 yards and three touchdowns. He’s off to a scorching start in 2019, leading Baltimore with 16 receptions and two touchdowns. Andrews is a huge target at 6 feet 5 and 256 pounds.
S Earl Thomas
Thomas is in his 10th NFL season and his first with Baltimore. He is a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro. After snagging an interception in Week 1, Thomas has secured an interception in every season of his career.
It was reported that the Chiefs were very close to a deal with the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Thomas last season, but a broken leg in Week 4 ended his season. K.C. also pursued him during free agency but was outbid by the Ravens.
K Justin Tucker
The eight-year veteran is the most accurate kicker of all-time, having made 90.3 percent of his career field-goal attempts. He has converted several field goals over 50 yards and has a personal best of 61 yards. This game could very well come down to a field goal as it did last year, which would be bad news for K.C if Baltimore has the ball last.
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KEY MATCHUPS
Patrick Mahomes vs. Earl Thomas
Mahomes is off to another MVP-caliber start, even while hobbled by an ankle sprain. He is distributing the ball all over the place and making throws that most quarterbacks can’t make. The Ravens’ defense will be the toughest he’s faced thus far and will be one of the best units he faces all season.
Can Thomas bait Mahomes into making some mistakes? Thomas will have his hands full with all the speedy Chiefs wide receivers as well as tight end Travis Kelce. It will be interesting to see if he focuses in on Kelce or stays deep.
DC Steve Spagnuolo vs. OC Greg Roman
Anytime a game features a dual-threat quarterback, there’s another chess match involved. Do you load the box to prevent him from running and risk getting burnt by the pass? Or do you take a defender away from coverage to spy on the quarterback?
There really is no perfect answer. A lot of it will depend on how well Jackson throws the ball. He struggled with accuracy last season but seems to be improved. Perhaps Spagnuolo can disguise his coverages and force Jackson into mistakes.
RB LeSean McCoy vs. Ravens’ front seven
With Damien Williams possibly missing this game with a knee injury, McCoy may have to carry the load. McCoy is also a bit banged up, but is practicing and is expected to play. He has done a solid job in his short time with the Chiefs, averaging five yards per carry.
Also not playing on Sunday is left tackle Eric Fisher. That won’t do McCoy any favors in the running game. McCoy will have run smart and use good vision in order to make an impact.
S Tyrann Mathieu vs. Lamar Jackson
Just as Mahomes vs. Thomas is a key matchup, Mathieu vs. Jackson will be equally as important. Mathieu could be spending a lot of time near the line of scrimmage in this game to help out against Jackson’s rushing ability.
If Spagnuolo looks to confuse Jackson with disguises, Mathieu could be his main guy in doing so. Mathieu has yet to make a significant impact with the Chiefs, and they’ll need him to come up big in this game.
OVERVIEW
Perhaps the biggest advantage the Chiefs will have in this game will be that it’s their home opener. Arrowhead Stadium will be rocking, and the crowd noise could get to Jackson and his offensive line. Last season the Chiefs’ defense played much better at home, feeding off the crowd.
Last week the Chiefs’ offense was shut out for three quarters, but one of the greatest single-quarter performances in NFL history was enough to secure a win. K.C. won’t likely be that fortunate again and will need to play a complete game to put away Baltimore.
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