What the Baltimore Beatdown staff think of the Ravens vs. Chiefs Week 1 showdown for NFL Kickoff.
The NFL announced on Monday that the Baltimore Ravens will play the Kansas City Chiefs for the NFL Kickoff game on Sunday Night Football on Thursday night. Below are the Beatdown staff reactions to the exciting news.
Good.
The Ravens get this game out of the way early and with it get to spend their hours of training camp and preseason preparing for vengeance.
Like Batman, Head Coach John Harbaugh often gets the “prep time” treatment. With no super powers, the question of how the Caped Crusader will defeat his enemy always comes down to prep time. Harbaugh is The Batman. And now, he gets a full offseason of prep time to go against Andy Reid, or Ra’s al Ghul.
There will hopefully be no excuses—for either side. Both teams get through training camp healthy. Both teams at full strength. Both ready to go to war for the NFL’s debut game and see who comes out on top.
If it’s the Ravens: good. Start off 1-0 and with the head-to-head tiebreaker that will be quintessential by seasons’ end.
If the Ravens lose: good. Take the road loss and with it a learning lesson of what it will take to dethrone the vaunted Chiefs. There could be no better game for the Ravens in Week 1. — Kyle Phoenix
Exciting matchup on tap to kick off the 2024 season. Baltimore has traditionally started the season fast under head coach John Harbaugh. Focusing offseason preparation on the team that has owned the AFC playoffs for the last half decade also bodes well for the Ravens. A national spotlight game will be a measuring stick in Week 1. — Vasilis Lericos
The Ravens won’t have to wait long to get the sour taste of last season’s AFC championship loss out of their mouths but they will have to sit back and watch the Chiefs unveil their third Super Bowl championship banner in the last five years. They will undoubtedly use both of these facts as motivation from now until and through the first kickoff.
The Ravens have historically been one of the fastest and strongest starting teams in the first quarter and half of the season and who better to start a championship campaign against than the reigning champions themselves? I expect Derrick Henry to get no less than 25 carries and become the first player in the league to rush for 100-plus yards, Zay Flowers to have a monster game, Roquan Smith to deliver such a fiery pre-game speech he looks like Ray Lewis reincarnated and Lamar Jackson to remind the league why he is reigning MVP with a highly efficient — Joshua Reed
Beginning the season against the Chiefs is an exciting opportunity for the Ravens. It will be an early measuring stick as to where they stand against the AFC’s best early on. They can test themselves against Kansas City and prepare for a potential rematch come later in the postseason. The Ravens traditionally excel in Week 1 under John Harbaugh. Earning a victory against the reigning champions and avenging last year’s playoff loss would be a significant feat. — Frank Platko
I am unimpressed by the week 1 matchup against the Chiefs. While it has a ton of media juice for obvious reasons, it lacks football excitement for me. I’m sure come September, I’ll be hyped up and ready to yell. But for now, the implication of this game are lacking. Teams are never at their best when starting the year. There will be no film on either team. Exciting rookies will be seeing their first game and won’t be at their best.
The Ravens could win or lose by 50 and I don’t think I’d be super moved either way. This game will have seeding implications but would have been more exciting down the line, later in the season. All that really matters for the Ravens is making the playoffs and going on a run. — Zach Canter
In an AFC Championship rematch, the Ravens will get a chance to enact a level of revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 5th. With Derrick Henry in the backfield, I expect the Ravens to come out with a slightly different game plan than the one they had in January. The Ravens typically have great success in week one. Given the opponent, they should be even more motivated to make a statement in this prime time opener. — Stephen Bopst