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What’s really on the line for Chiefs and Ravens in Week 3?

By Lyle Graversen

KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 22: Emmanuel Ogbah #90 of the Kansas City Chiefs blocks the view of Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 22: Emmanuel Ogbah #90 of the Kansas City Chiefs blocks the view of Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 20: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens and head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs meet at midfield after the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium on December 20, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 34-14. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 20: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens and head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs meet at midfield after the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium on December 20, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Chiefs defeated the Ravens 34-14. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) /

The Monday Night Football matchup between the Chiefs and Ravens is being billed as a battle of the NFL’s best teams, but what’s really on the line?

When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field for their Monday Night Football matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, it will be the clear marquee matchup of the young NFL season. All one has to do to justify that claim is to do a quick search of NFL power rankings. NFL.com, ESPN, Fox Sports, and even Arrowhead Addict’s own Grant Tuttle have this game as a battle of one versus two in the power rankings. Simply put, the vast majority of the NFL world sees tonight’s game as the two best teams in the NFL going head to head, but what’s really at stake?

When looking over the Chiefs schedule, I’m guessing most of us circled this game as the biggest test of the regular season. I would assume that the same is probably true of Ravens fans when they looked at the schedule as well.

For the defending champion Chiefs this game is a chance to prove they are still the top dog and the team to beat. The Ravens are looking to prove that they are finally ready to knock the Chiefs off that top spot and beat them for the first time since Lamar Jackson took over as their quarterback.

If this is the most anticipated game for both teams all season coming in and the premiere match up in all the NFL in the first quarter of the season, then this has to be considered a must-win game for both teams, right? Well, at the risk of being anticlimactic, it really isn’t. If we’re being honest, there simply is no such thing as a must win game in September. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a huge game, but when there are still 13 more games to go following this game anything can happen.

Before we get into what a win or a loss really means for both of these teams, let’s be clear that win or lose both of these teams will still be very much in the running for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and they will likely continue to be two of the most popular picks to win the Super Bowl this season. So it would be wise for both teams to not let the result of this game get them too high or too low with so much season still to play.

With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s talk about what this game does mean to each team, starting with the race for the top spot in the AFC.

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