SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS BALTIMORE RAVENS

BY ADAM GREENE

Sunday Night Football brings the heat once again with a match up of two 2020-21 playoff teams and maybe the two most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes and the defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs travel to the city of crab cakes to face off against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

As impressive as Lamar Jackson has been in his short time in the NFL, even winning the league’s MVP award in 2019, there’s one thing he’s never done; defeated Patrick Mahomes. The Ravens and Chiefs have faced off three times with these particular QBs and Mahomes is 3-0. Last year’s game, also in Baltimore, was a 34-20 Kansas City beat down.

In all, this will just be the 12^th overall meeting between Baltimore and KC, with the Chiefs leading the all-time series 7-4 with four consecutive wins dating back to 2015.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (+3.5, O/U: 54.5)

Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md.

Broadcast: NBC

Kickoff: Sept. 19, 8:20 p.m. EST

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (1-0)

The Chiefs are getting a defending champions schedule early. A week after a come from behind 33-29 victory over the Cleveland Browns, they have to face a Ravens team trying not to start the year 0-2.

In their epic battle with Cleveland, Mahomes was exactly who he’s always been. He finished 27 of 36 for 337 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t get a ton of help in the run game, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire leading the way with 43 yards. Tyreek Hill racked up the fantasy points with 11 catches for 197 yards and a touchdown.

BALTIMORE RAVENS (0-1)

Baltimore opened the regular season without the top three running backs on their depth chart thanks to crazy preseason injuries. Their second best corner too, Marcus Peters, is also watching on the sidelins in street clothes. Still, the Ravens got a solid enough performance on the ground from Ty’Son Williams who carried the ball nine times for 65 yards and a touchdown scored on a fourth down conversion. Of course, all the talk about the expanded Ravens offense went out the window with the game tight as Greg Roman broke out the Tecmo Bowl playbook in the second half and Jackson ended up turning the ball over twice, once in overtime in a 33-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

THE PICK

There were times in last week’s game that Roman looked like he’d watched and learned something from actual game film and when he called those plays, Jackson executed them. When Roman turned back into a pumpkin in the second half and overtime, it back to the same old nonsense. Andy Reid and his coaching staff will not be tested by Baltimore and the Ravens are down to one cornerback to cover some of the fastest men in the league, thrown to by the best QB on the planet. This defense gave up 435 yards passing a week ago. I’m not sure it’ll be close. Chiefs 34, Ravens 19

Last week

Straight up: 10-6

Against the spread: 9-7

The NFL season is underway and the Week 2 Schedule is up and taking bets at BetOnline.AG.

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