Chiefs vs. Ravens: Rush defense takes center stage in heavyweight tilt
After narrowly escaping with a victory in Los Angeles, the Chiefs travel to the opposite coast in a potential AFC Championship preview
After narrowly surviving an upset bid from rookie quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs now turn their attention to what is arguably the toughest game on their entire 2020 schedule: Week 3 at the Baltimore Ravens.
This game is obviously difficult because the Ravens are an excellent football team. However, what compounds that is just how much travel is involved for Kansas City. It seems irrelevant given the time between, but traveling from Kansas City to the West Coast for two days, then back to Kansas City, and then to Baltimore five days later is a lot—especially in light of COVID protocols.
Baltimore will present a significant challenge to Kansas City, and even though it is only Week 3, one cannot overstate the importance of this head-to-head matchup between the two best teams in football. Remember: there is only one bye this year. That puts the winner of this game squarely in the driver’s seat to have the most significant advantage in the postseason: rest.
What matchups should we be watching this weekend?
Andy Reid versus John Harbaugh
Two future Hall of Fame coaches do battle in this one as John Harbaugh leads the Ravens against Andy Reid and the defending Super Bowl champions. This is a riveting intellectual battle which has been stirring for two decades. Kansas City has gotten the best of Baltimore recently, and Andy Reid is the primary reason why.
Have you noticed the Chiefs offense looking a little vanilla these first two weeks? Isn’t it kind of weird that Patrick Mahomes isn’t launching it down field much? Why aren’t we seeing as much misdirection? There is only one answer to these questions: Monday Night Football.
Reid knows how important this game is for AFC playoff seeding and has been scheming for this game all offseason. Big Red bet on his team’s ability to get through the first two weeks without really opening up the offense, and while it almost backfired in Los Angeles, a 2-0 start does not care how you won. The gamble paid off.
How will Harbaugh and the Ravens’ defense adapt? And perhaps more importantly, how early? If Kansas City’s first 15-25 plays produce two or three touchdowns, and Lamar Jackson is forced to sit back and throw the football, well, that’s a recipe for another Chiefs victory.