Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens Prediction 9-5-24 NFL Picks

The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs meet Thursday in NFL week 1 action at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Here’s a Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens Prediction. This article will include a Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens Pick.

Baltimore Ravens Betting Preview

The Baltimore Ravens have made the playoffs in five of the last six years and enter year 17 under coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens have won double-digit Games in nine of the last 14 years. The Ravens are a Super Bowl contender yet again as long as quarterback Lamar Jackson is on the field, now a two-time MVP at 27 years old. The addition of running back Derrick Henry adds some thunder to the Raven’s speedy offense. There are questions with the Ravens offensive line as John Simpson, Kevin Zeitler and Morgan Moses are gone, but Jackson under center masks a lot of issues.

Defensively, the Ravens lost some recognizable names, but guys like Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Not and Roquan Smith can fill in those shoes. Linebacker Chris Board comes over from New England and should see an expanded role. You can argue the Ravens have one of the best front sevens in the NFL, even with players like Jadeveon Clowney and Patrick Queen no longer around. Most books have the Ravens as a top-three contender to win the Super Bowl entering the season.

Kansas City Chiefs Betting Preview

The Kansas City Chiefs are the cream of the crop in the NFL, as they’ve made the playoffs every year since 2015 and have won 3 of the last 5 super bowls. With the duo of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are the favorites to win the title again. Offensively, the Chiefs have offensive line concerns and had major receiver drops last season, but the drafting of receiver Xavier Worthy should help. Worthy brings the speed to the table that was lost with the moving on of Tyreek Hill. As long as Mahomes is under center, the Chiefs will figure things out offensively. We saw it last year when the KC offense was often out of sorts and was a frustrating watch.

Defensively, the loss of cornerback L’Jarius Sneed hurts, as he was typically the guy lining up against the opposing team’s best receivers. With Aaron Donald retiring, you can argue the Chiefs have the best defensive tackle in the league in Chris Jones. George Karlaftis had a breakout sophomore season with 10.5 sacks and 3 pass deflections. The Chiefs have formed one of the best QB – head coach duos in NFL History, and they’re a threat as long as that remains intact.

Why the Baltimore Ravens will win

• The underdogs have won four of the Chiefs’ last five games.
• The Chiefs have lost each of their last two games as slight favorites (<-3.5 points).
• The road team has covered the spread in 12 of the Chiefs’ last 13 Week 1 games.
• The Chiefs have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven September games as favorites against AFC opponents.
• The Ravens have scored the first touchdown in each of their last 14 Week 1 games.
• The Ravens have won the first quarter in each of their last eight Week 1 games.
• The Ravens have won the first half in each of their last eight Week 1 games against AFC opponents.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens Prediction

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting the benefit of the doubt because they’re the defending champs at home. It’s also hard to bet against Mahomes. With that said, the Baltimore Ravens are a title contender on paper, and you’re not going to get them as an underdog often this season. The Ravens are also 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 Games as an underdog. The Chiefs still have wide receiver questions, especially with Marquise Brown banged up. The Raven’s physical defense is likely going to give the Chiefs issues. Lamar Jackson has won 8 of his last 11 regular season road Games. Again, you won’t get this position with the Ravens many times this season. Give me the points.