The Baltimore Ravens start their season going on the road to the Arrowhead Stadium where they will be seeking revenge on the Kansas City Chiefs for beating them in last season's AFC Championship game.
In their penultimate game of last season, the Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in Baltimore, going on to win their third Super Bowl title in five years. This was a game that the Ravens would believe that they lost as opposed to the Chiefs winning.
The Ravens managed to hold the Chiefs scoreless in the second half of the Championship game. However, they couldn’t overcome the 10-point deficit as they only scored three points themselves.
The Ravens star receiver, Zay Flowers, was incredibly detrimental to the comeback effort, being guilty of a taunting penalty and a goal-line fumble on the same drive. A late interception by Lamar Jackson was the final nail in the coffin of Baltimore’s Super Bowl dreams, as once again, they were hit by bitter playoff disappointment.
This was the second time in Lamar Jackson's career that he followed up an MVP season with a poor showing in the playoffs. While he impressed in the divisional round against the Texans, his poor showing against Kansas City is what many will remember.
On Thursday night, he will once again reignite his rivalry with Patrick Mahomes, a rivalry that has been thoroughly one-sided, with Mahomes winning five of their six games together.
The Chiefs go into this encounter on the back of consecutive Superbowl wins, looking to become the first side to complete a three-peat of Lombardi trophies. The Chiefs ran the gauntlet in last year's playoffs, overcoming the label of ‘underdogs’ in their final three games.
While it may seem ludicrous to consider any team with Patrick Mahomes an underdog, this was the case last year. And the fact that they overcame this and won it all anyway gives them an air of invincibility.
The Chiefs appear perfectly comfortable doing just enough to make the playoffs, including preserving important players such as Travis Kelce and Chris Jones until important moments in games. Don’t forget, they lost the opening game of last year's season to the Detroit Lions and it didn’t matter anyway.
This game will mean a lot more to the Ravens than it will to the Chiefs. The Chiefs go into this game knowing that they’ll be in the playoffs, while the Ravens go into it looking for vengeance.
Things to Look Out For
The King wears new clothing
Derrick Henry is making his much anticipated debut as a Baltimore Raven. Henry hasn't been in his prime for a couple of seasons now, but much of that can be attributed to the situation in Tenneesee deteriorating.
Now at the Ravens, he's landed in the perfect situation for a running back. A legitimate running threat in Lamar Jackson will give Henry the space needed to get up ahead of steam. Even in the last few years he's proven that his top end speed is still intact.
Need for Rashee-d
Rashee Rice has had an interesting offseason. Following an arrest warrant for a hit and run incident, many expected Rice to be hit with a heavy suspension. However, this has not come to fruition yet.
Rice showed in his rookie season that he can be a reliable weapon for Mahomes, displaying strong after-the-catch skills that can turn a short throw into a big play. This was even on display in the preseason game against Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions, where Mahomes threw to Rice four times in their limited snaps.
With Hollywood Brown out, Xavier Worthy a rookie and Travis Kelce being managed, Rashee Rice should become a major part of the Chiefs gameplan.
Where to Watch
This game can be watched either on Thursday night or Friday morning depending where you view it.
Channel
USA: NBC, Amazon Prime at 8:20pm
UK: Sky Sports, Amazon Prime at 1:20am
