Chiefs Host Ravens, Regular Season Game 3: OPEN THREAD

Chiefs Host Ravens, Regular Season Game 3: OPEN THREAD, by David Bell – The Kansas City Chiefs are 2-0 facing the Baltimore Ravens who are also 2-0. A lot has been postulated about those pundits and analysts who do not think much of the AFC or some AFC teams. They certainly are NFC oriented. This appears to me to be true especially from those who just won’t believe the Chiefs can be a championship team.

Reverse to all you heard and were hearing before the 2018 season began. Think about the shock that the Chiefs caused to potentially beat the Patriots. Think about the NFL Official who tossed the flag on Ford and has also verbalized to a Miami defender to, “Stay off of Tom!”

The Ravens played a tough game and almost won it last year. It surprised the Chiefs and required some special action by the Chiefs QB to pull the game to a tie and then win it.

Mahome’s Has Aerial Tools

In 2019, the Chiefs field a team that has many new and different players, on both offense and defense. In this game they will play without Tyreek Hill. In 2018, the comeback was Hill. This year it will have to be Sammy Watkins. Or Mecole Hardman. Or Demarcus Robinson. Put any two on the field at the same time and you you have a receiver with 4.4 speed or less. Add in Travis Kelce and you have all your many hands can handle. Toss in LeSean McCoy and D-Train? You have additional threats. All in all, Patrick Mahomes has enough tools to use as “go to” players in this game.

Can REID Toss a “HANK STRAM ADJUSTMENT” in Today’s NFL?

If there is any weakness at all it’s with Running backs as Damien Williams (knee) and LeSean McCoy were out of practice all week with McCoy returning on Friday.

McCoy will be ready but Williams will be out for another week. If McCoy should fail to answer the bell, it will be Darwin Thompson. Darrel Williams? Then we are truly down to the “nubs.” I am not sure if Reid has another alternative except to put Sherman in as a lead blocker, run a straight I formation and use WRs off of that? This Collegiate twist would be a surprise and probably a confusion factor for the Raven’s players.  Reid could set up the run with Thompson going of the hip of his lead blocker, Anthony Sherman or sometimes McCoy.

The trick off of that would be to run the play action, have both RB’s in blocking and release the lead blocker (McCoy) out of that while the defense is looking for D-Train to be the receiver out of the backfield.

Dave…. Dave??? Wake up! You have drifted off in your dream and are sounding pretty weird! Wake up, you are going Wacky! Hank Stram? C’mon Man!

Big Man Down

Eric Fisher went down with a groin injury, tried to make a comeback last Sunday but left the game in pain. Later, an MRI Showed the problem and a couple of days later, Fisher flew to Philly for a core muscle tear surgery. He will be out 4-6 weeks. That hurts because the Chiefs lost a Pro Bowl player on the left side of the OL.

Already the Chiefs stirred the controversy pot by acknowledging that they would start Cam Erving in Fisher’s place. Cam Erving has been with the Chiefs for 3 years. He was a 1st round draft pick that Brett Veach brought in cheap. He can start at any position on the OL (and has done so except for ROT). Now I know this raises the ire of some “observers” but Erving knows the offense and has immersed himself in the playbook. He remains the best choice for a Swingman on the Chiefs OL. I am not sure but pretty convinced few depth players who are SW/T can play center or be a SW/G. Erving can do that.

Am I saying Erving is the optimal replacement for Fish? Of course not, but look, we have the following subs: Erving, Allen, Allegretti, Hunter and Rankin. Erving is the right choice. I do think they should give both Allegretti and Rankin a few snaps in a real game. Too much attention is paid to #2 players needing to be top players in the NFL (starter quality in other words). That’s really not very objective or even possible. The talent is just not there.

The Chiefs also signed 6-6, 305, Greg Senat, who cannot play in this game. It may be that he was brought in due to Fisher’s injury or as a spy. Either way, he is not a depth player for the game against his former team. With Fisher out 4-6 weeks, Senat may have been signed as a lineman to work in over last week and next to get ready to give Erving a blow and help reduce the number of his snaps. Schwartz won’t allow anyone to get him to miss a snap. He is working to set a huge NFL record on consecutive snaps!

The Ravens Offense

The Ravens are likely to have difficulty keeping up with a team that averaged over 30 PPG in 2018. Right now? The Ravens own a margin here in PPG but there is a caveat: the level of play by their soft opening schedule and strength of their opponents, the Dolphins and Cardinals. Lamar Jackson wowed the crowd playing the Dolphins to get 59 points scored… against lesser teams than the Chiefs two opponents… to get 72 points (PPG: 35.5). Jackson threw for about 600 yards and 7 TD’s. It’s no wonder fans back east are excited about Jackson.

Compare this to Mahomes vs his two opponents: the Jaguars and the Raiders. PM2 hit for 7 TDs on 821 yards and 68 Points (PPG: 34). If there is any drawback it is going to be related to the run game.

Lamar Jackson struggled with passing accuracy in 2018 but after this he called on his WR, TE’s and RB’s to work off-site in the off-season to improve their understanding of one another and give Jackson a leg up. This off-season work has contributed to early success for Jackson. Jackson’s targets for the aerial game are very good players, WR’s Marquese Brown and Miles Boykin are his top receivers and RB Mark Ingram gets their ground game going. The Ravens will try to get Ingram going at the same time the aerial game takes off.

The Ravens Defense

I don’t think their defense is a slouch but they don’t have as much talent as the Jaguars They book end NT Michael Pierce with DEs Chris Wormley and Brandon Williams. WOLB Matthew Judon and SOLB Pernell McPhee do not put fear in my heart.

Nor do inside LB’s Patrick Onwuasor or Kenny Young. Corners are Marlon Humphrey and RCB Jimmy Smith. SS Tony Jefferson and he is paired with FS Earl Thomas who stated he was going to shut down KC Wide Receivers. Jimmy Smith is questionable for this game.

Steve Spagnuolo will not allow Ingram to run rampant. He will be a handful. At the same time, the Chiefs must do better getting their ground game a lift. I am hopeful McCoy can go and I want to see Thompson open up and get the carries to show what he can do. it would be great if his game suddenly was elevated to the NFL Play and he gained 110 yards on 14 carries and got a TD in the process. The Chiefs then run away with the game and score 46.

The Ravens defense may be good enough to hold the Chiefs to 40 or less. However, it is possible that the Chiefs can cross that boundary depending on game situations.

At the same time, Lamar Jackson adds a dimensional threat the Ravens did not have in Joe Flacco. The Ravens made the correct move in ridding themselves of Joe and this will end up being a reason that the Broncos continue to fail to put it all together: Advantage Chiefs!

The offense of the Ravens won’t be enough to overcome the strength of the Chiefs offense. Meanwhile the Chiefs defense will rise to the occasion. We will see more immediate reactions by the defense and a honed approach at pressuring Jackson. 

Chiefs win, 36-24… but should I make that 46 instead? Hmmm.

David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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