Laddie Morse
Beyond the typical “On Any Given Sunday” way of losing an NFL game, there are specific ways the Kansas City Chiefs could lose their opening game to the Baltimore Ravens. Let’s explore them:
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However unlikely this is, if the Chiefs linebacking crew has an off game, the Ravens could end up running away with this one… literally. If Nick Bolton isn’t 100% and if Drue Tranquill doesn’t deliver for some reason, K.C. is in deep doo-doo… and trouble. If you catch my drift?
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ESPN’s Depth Chart for the Chiefs shows that Chris Jones is “Questionable” for this game. With the Ravens boasting a run-heavy offense, if CJ isn’t at full strength for this game, it could be an early exit day for the Chiefs. Stone Cold is also tall which allows him to bat balls down at the LoS. In January he had a batted ball, so if he can’t go in this game, it will be huge. However, I am hoping we see this on Thursday evening:
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In January of this year, Zay Flowers had 5 catches for 115 yards and a TD. If he matches that total in this game, K.C. may be in trouble. Let’s not forget that the Ravens only lost by 7 points — one touchdown — earlier this year (17-to-10). If the Ravens had extended that game to an Overtime, who knows what could have happened (0:14).
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The Ravens have always (in recent years) had a very good defense and that starts with their DBs. They feature both Marlon Humphrey at CB and Kyle Hamilton at Safety. Both have been to the Pro Bowl and both have been First Team All Pro… so their DBs are not to be taken lightly.
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Derrick Henry has been nicknamed “King Henry” for his rushing prowess. He has finished second in the NFL the last two years, was 9th three years ago, and had more than 2,000 yards rushing in 2020 (a year in which he was AP’s NFL Player of the Year), with a rushing title in 2019 to boot. Henry was the 45th overall pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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QB Lamar Jackson has been a terror… on the ground. Jackson was a league MVP in 2019 and again last season, 2023. Jackson had his most yards passing in 2023 with more than 3,600 yards. He’s also very close to be coming the all-time leading rusher in the NFL –> as a QB. Right now Michael Vick holds that spot, but if Lamar Jackson gains the same amount he did in 2023, 821 yards, he’ll only need 30 more yards after that to surpass Vick. To gain 821 yards this year, he’ll only need just over 48 yards per contest. He had 54 yards rushing vs the Chiefs in January, so……….. WATCH OUT!
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I know that much of this depends upon whether or not Chris Jones can play but… CJ is not really a big run stopper. His forte is the pass rush. He flips from inside to outside anytime he wants and his ability to get to the passer is legendary. He’s now the best DT in the league. However, to be the best, he must also stop the run. The rest of the Chiefs DTs are not nearly as good as CJ, so someone will need to step up in any event.
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“Arrowhead Abroad in Our Super Bowl Era” video -Snap Shot Screen Cap Photo Credit
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If Kansas City ends up needing L’Jarius Sneed, especially vs Zay Flowers, if he goes off, it could spell doom for our boys in red and gold. I know the Chiefs had to re-sign Chris Jones, but… if they could have re-signed him for less, maybe we could have afforded Sneed? I’m not up on all things cap, so if I could be wrong here… but… but… if K.C. loses to Baltimore on Thursday evening and Zay Flowers has anything to do with that defeat… it won’t look good for Brett Veach.
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I heard Patrick Mahomes saying this week that the team will make game-time adjustments if needed, where needed. While that’s comforting, if those adjustments need to be made on Defense, he may not know what he’s talking about. If DC Steve Spagnuolo doesn’t make the right adjustments quickly enough, the Ravens could run away — truly — with this game, in a heartbeat.
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And the number one way K.C. could lose this game is…
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Here’s a video interview of the Chiefs rookies starting with Kingsley Suamataia (0:41):
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If Andy Reid was wrong about Kingsley Suamataia and Suamataia ends up making Patrick Mahomes a marked man, the whole offense could be in trouble. If Suamataia has a bad game vs the Ravens and again against the Bengals (in Week Two), then GM Brett Veach could be on the phone to Donovan Smith to see if he can come in and re-sign. By starting out his career against the Ravens DE Justin Madubuike and/or LB Roquan Smith, Suamataia will have his work cut out for him. If you think for one minute that HC John Harbaugh and new DC Zach Orr won’t be blitzing heavily off that side — the side where Suamataia plays — you’d be ready to buy some swamp land in Florida.
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Aside from the ways mentioned above, there’s always the untimely injury. Especially if it has to do with Patrick Mahomes.
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Staunton County Park – Photo Credit
Knock on a Redwood!
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What do you think?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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