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

Who will keep pace in the AFC?

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, and Tennessee Titans all won their games this week and advanced to a perfect 3-0 on the season. That means that the winner of the Chiefs and Ravens will keep pace with this group, while the loser will then find themselves a game off the pace. We already established that there are enough games left that a loss this early doesn’t hurt a team too badly, but it does make that team’s margin of error smaller going forward.

A big reason for that is the change in playoff format this season where only the top seed in each conference will receive a first round bye in the playoffs. A loss for either of these teams means that not only will they have to chase down teams like the Steelers, Bills, and Titans, but they would also have to outplay the winning team in this game by two games the rest of the way, since that team would now own the head to head tie breaker.

While I still believe that the Chiefs and Ravens are the two best teams in the AFC, regardless of whichever team wins Monday night, the hot starts by those teams set the table for a competitive conference this season. The 2-1 New England Patriots probably deserve a mention as well after dismantling the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, since only a tough loss against the Seattle Seahawks keeping them from the AFC’s list of undefeated teams.

When looking ahead at K.C.’s and Baltimore’s schedules, the Chiefs only have two head-to-head games against the previously mentioned AFC teams remaining on their schedule after Monday night. Those are games against the Patriots and Bills and both are coming up in the next three weeks.

The Ravens on the other hand have two games against the Steelers, plus games against both the Patriots and Titans remaining on their schedule. This game may be even more pivotal for them, since they’ll have more potential tough AFC matchups down the stretch, while the Chiefs could have a chance to either make up some ground or extend their lead late in the season.

Now let’s talk about what this game could specifically mean to the Ravens.