Our Kansas City Chiefs looked like a mess at the start of last week's face-off with the rival Oakland Raiders, but it only took one quarter for reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes to wipe the short-lived grin off Jon Gruden's smug face. KC faces a tougher test today, however, as the Chiefs come home to host the 2-0 Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead. National NFL media is pushing this game as a potential AFC Championship preview, but don't be too sure of that this early in the season. Are the Ravens really legit, and what elements of KC's squad will matter most in today's game?
Baltimore's ability to block Chris Jones could be a big factor today. CJ was a consistent presence last week in Oakland with three hits on Derek Carr, a sack and a tackle-for-loss. Jones and the rest of KC's interior defense struggled to stop the run, however. They'll have their hands full today when the league's best rushing offense comes to KC. Oakland's Josh Jacobs racked up 99 yards on just 12 rushes against the Chiefs last week. Lamar Jackson alone ran for 120 yards in Week 2 when Baltimore beat Arizona. The Ravens as a team average 38.5 more rushing yards per game than the next-best running team in football.
The Ravens look great, but they haven't played a decent team yet this year. Baltimore destroyed the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, but Miami has been outscored by 92 total points in just two games. The Ravens went on to win a tight game last week against the Arizona Cardinals - a team with a new, constantly criticized head coach and a rookie QB who was chosen first overall in the most recent draft. Arizona is still relatively unknown, too, and after tying the perennially sub-par Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the season, many justifiably wrote them off as a squad that's still well below-average.
The Chiefs probably haven't played a playoff-caliber team this year either, but KC's deep run in last year's playoffs proved their legitimacy. The entire country already knows Mahomes and the Chiefs are legit, but big questions still surround Baltimore. I like our Chiefs' chances to win, but you also won't find me putting any cash on KC at Bovada today. A five-point spread in a game against such a tough-to-gauge team as Baltimore makes me too scared to drop any dough this time around. This should be a fun one to watch and yet another intriguing test for a confident KC team that should come into Arrowhead eager to prove themselves against formidable opposition.
Doug LaCerte is too busy playing Madden and Rimworld to properly beg for people to follow him on Twitter or like his posts on Facebook.
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