Week 4: Ravens vs. Chiefs game preview: A Super Bowl Contender will exit Arrowhead 1-3

With the Chiefs offense stagnant, and the Ravens defense leaking, who will come out on top?

You don’t often see games with real stakes in Week 4 of the NFL season.

That is not the case this coming Sunday at Arrowhead.

Both the Kansas City Chiefs (1-2) and the Baltimore Ravens (1-2) have dropped games to two outstanding teams and defeated a very beatable team.

The clash, which will be the seventh over the past eight years since both Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have been at the helm, will force one of these expected juggernauts to start the season 1-3.

Both are likely still playoff teams, no matter the result, but as far as seeding and divisional aspirations, Sunday afternoon’s result will have significant implications.

Kansas City got off to a sluggish start against a porous New York Giants defense last week before catching a rhythm, tacking on two touchdowns in the second half.

Mahomes chalked up the difference to execution, but this week, the all-star veteran quarterback knows one half of productive football will not be enough.

“For us, we got to start faster,” Mahomes said. “Every game we’ve kind of said that, and we haven’t really got to do that. We were moving the ball early in the game last week, but we were settling with field goals and when you play teams that are really good and have dynamic quarterbacks like the Ravens do, you got to turn those into touchdowns.

That will not only put pressure on them, but it unleashes (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) to be able to do what he wants to do, and you always see when we get leads, he’s a great finisher. He’s a great closer of being able to give you different looks and stuff like that. We gotta take pressure off our defense and put pressure onto them by starting faster, and we can be better at that this week.”

The Chiefs have only scored one first-half touchdown through the first three games of the season.

Can KC get anything out of its running backs?

This is a question that is asked on a weekly basis at this point.

Yes, they committed to the run in Week 3 against the Giants. Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith and Nikko Remigio took a combined 23 carries.

Pacheco led the way, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, but they still only accounted for 102 yards on those 23 carries. That is not the worst day in the world, but the Giants averaged 177 yards allowed on the ground coming into the game.

The Chiefs failed to take advantage, albeit with some progress. Could this be the week we see Elijah Mitchell activated to provide a potential spark?

Even after Kansas City’s mediocre performance, the Giants are 31st against the run and right below them is the Baltimore Ravens at 30th.

Last week, the Ravens allowed the Lions to dominate and outphysical them on the ground, yielding 224 yards and four touchdowns.

The Lions had the script in their favor, earning an early lead and controlling the game. Securing an early lead would also aid the Chiefs’ ground game.

If the Chiefs want to get the passing game going, especially those deep shots that they have been hitting more often, Mahomes knows the run game helps open that up.

“Yeah, we want to be balanced,” Mahomes said. “Every team in the NFL does and I thought that this last week we did a better job at running the ball, and I thought the offensive line did a good job of doing the run blocking together and the chemistry building between them and I know that you saw Monday night at the Ravens, but they’re a prideful group. I don’t think they’re gonna be very happy with the film, and they’re going to come out with the mentality of stopping the run, so it’ll be a great test for us. To be able to go up there and to run the football and then to be able to pass off of it will be important to us. Stay balanced and go up against a team that is going to be as hungry as we are.”

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Chiefs front seven

While the defense has been atrocious, the Ravens’ offense has been putting teams on skates.

Their offensive identity is apparent – ride Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry until the wheels fall off.

The two will likely get their fair share of counting stats, but there are things you can do to slow them down in key moments.

The Lions sacked Jackson seven times. They did that by maintaining gap integrity, using quarterback spies and coming up with some shoestring tackles before he escaped.

Linebacker Leo Chenal has spied Jackson before with some success, but I would not be shocked if defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo mixed things up and gave Nick Bolton or Drue Tranquille some looks, too.

Those three will have to play sound football, but so will the boys up front. This is not a game you want defensive tackle Chris Jones freelancing in.

If he and others can stay in their rushing lanes, they can contain Jackson and prevent Derrick Henry from reaching the second level, which is where he is at his best.

Henry has fumbled in three straight games for the first time in his career. He still has 242 yards, three touchdowns and is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, though.

Defensive end George Karlaftis is not looking at the fumbles as a way of encouragement that Henry is slowing down at age 31.

“When you play against a guy like that (Henry), you can’t make any mistakes,” Karlaftis said. “If one guy is out of your gap, he’s gone. It’s all about being detailed in the run game, being detailed and executing your assignment, trusting the scheme of the coach and your responsibility and executing.”

Spagnulo has had a plan for the Ravens over the years, with their last win over Kansas City coming back in 2021. The Chiefs know what it takes to beat them and know that it starts up front.”

Whose strength will win out?

It sounds unusual to say, because it is the Ravens, but if the Chiefs’ offense is going to break out, this is the week.

The Ravens have the exact opposite problem as the Chiefs, only a worse one. They cannot stop anybody, whether on the ground or in the air.

Not only are they 30th in rush yards allowed, but they are 31st in passing yards allowed. Head coach Andy Reid should establish the run game, but they may take a shot or two early to gain an early lead.

Forcing Jackson to throw the entire game has been a formula of success for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs are posting close to top 10 numbers on defense, but are in the middle and back of the offensive rankings.

The results have not been as poor as the Baltimore defense, but the Kansas City offense has been anything but freeing to watch.

The Ravens, however, boast the most potent offense in the league. They are averaging 37 points per game, despite their 1-2 record.

Kansas City’s defense should hold up better than the Lions or the Bills’, but imagining the Chiefs pacing with the Ravens sounds daunting.

They will get wide receiver Xavier Worthy back in the fold. Reid is excited to add another weapon to the offense after seeing growth from Hollywood Brown and Tyquan Thornton.

“I think one of the great things is that Pat (Mahomes) has been able to get some game time with a couple of guys he didn’t have a lot of game time with, between Hollywood (Brown) and 80 (Thornton),” head coach Andy Reid said. “I think it’s a positive thing and then when the other guys come in, then he’s got experience with them. I look at the production of the other two guys, Hollywood and Thornton, and it’s been – I think that’s a real positive for the team going down the road here.”

Can Kelce become a factor?

Lately, all the talk about tight end Travis Kelce has centered on what is happening on the sidelines, rather than on the football field.

Kelce was visibly frustrated after the offense remained stagnant in the first half against a New York defense that was not highly touted. The result was a chest bump from Reid on the sidelines, which was not the first emotional sideline outburst surrounding Kelce this season.

Reid addressed the situation this week, stating Kelce has been around long enough to know what a successful Andy Reid offense should look like. Reid can handle the emotions as long as it is coming from a good place.

“Is he frustrated or not frustrated? Well, he’s seen how the offense works, and so when things aren’t going the right way, that’s – he’s very aware of that,” Reid said. “He’s a pretty smart guy, and he’s been doing it longer than anybody else on this team who’s been doing it. He wants to make sure that he gets that point across to the guys and so he does that. I’m okay with that part. He knows also, like the coaches know, where we can go with this, too and the growth we can have here, and we need to take care of business in that area.”

With Worthy set to re-make his season debut, could things open up for Kelce a bit?

It sounds wild to say, but the future Hall of Famer has only seen one target on third down this season. It occurred this past week against the Giants, and he successfully converted it.

He may not be what he once was, and he may not be the best blocker anymore, but he is just two weeks removed from stiff-arming Cooper DeJean on a big play and outrunning Andrew Makuba for another. He also ran a nice route and exploded towards the endzone on his touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers.

He clearly improved his conditioning this season and has historically performed well against the Ravens. He has averaged over 78 yards per game in six regular-season matchups.

In his last playoff matchup with them, the Super Bowl LVIII run, in January 2024, he caught 11 of his 11 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Kelce’s over/under total for yards and receptions is 39.5 and 4.5 this weekend.

Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes

While each team’s current play may favor the Baltimore Ravens, the overall record does not.

Since the two took over as their franchise’s starting quarterbacks, Mahomes is 4-1 in the regular season and 1-0 in the playoffs against Lamar Jackson.

Five of the six meetings have been decided by one score and the only Kansas City loss stemmed from a late-game fumble by Clyde Edwards-Helaire, in which the win would have been sealed otherwise.

The Ravens offense is high-flying currently and the Chiefs defense is their strength, but since the two took over in 2018, they are ranked one and two in offense, both in points and yards over those eight seasons.

Much of the success has stemmed from not only Mahomes but also Spagnuolo’s game plans. Karlaftis knows the importance of sticking to the plan and playing team defense when it comes to perennial MVP contender Lamar Jackson.

“It takes all 11, I can tell you that,” Karlaftis said while laughing. “We got so much respect for the dude, not just him, but their whole offense, really their whole team. They’re tough; they do stuff the right way. Lamar specifically is so athletic, but he’s such an accurate quarterback. I don’t think he gets enough respect for that. He really can do it all.”

Key injuries

Chiefs: Defensive end Mike Danna (quad) logged a full participant practice but was sandwiched by two limited practices and has been tagged as doubtful for the matchup. Cornerback Kristian Fulton (ankle) has been listed as limited all week, but is questionable for the game. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder) has no injury designation for the game after being a full participant all week. Defensive end Ashton Gillotte (elbow) was a late addition to the injury report and is questionable after not practicing today.

Ravens: Game designations have not been released yet, but defensive end Travis Jones (knee) and tight end Isaiah Likely (foot) were limited on Thursday, while defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike (neck), fullback Patrick Riccard (calf), tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle) and defensive end Kyle Van Noy (hamstring) have not participated in practice all week.

Key game details

Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri

Date: Sunday, Sept. 28

Kickoff: 3:25 p.m. CT

TV/Streaming: CBS

Broadcasters: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo

Radio: 96.5 The Fan

Head Referee: Clay Martin

Betting Line: Chiefs +2.5 | Moneyline: +130 | Over/Under: 48.5

Weather Forecast: Sunny skies, 88°, winds around 5-10 mph, 6% chance of rain