Week 2 Sunday Night Football Preview: Chiefs vs. Ravens Odds & Picks

Sunday Night Football is expected to be one of the best games of the NFL Week 2 slate, as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Baltimore Ravens. Fans of the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals will get a good look at their AFC North rivals in action against the two-time defending AFC champions.

And with Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes leading each side, there will be no shortage of star power on the field at all times.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs were down for much of their Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns but turned things around in the second half to win when all was said and done. While the Browns were able to rack up 457 yards against the Chiefs, Kansas City forced two key turnovers that made the difference in that matchup. Now, the Chiefs will look to go 2-0 against AFC North opponents in the first two weeks of the season.

What was most impressive about the Chiefs’ win over Cleveland was their response to adversity in the situation they were in. Trailing in their first game after losing in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs could have easily folded against Cleveland. But they deserve credit for turning things around in that game and making a bold statement to the rest of the league that they are not going anywhere.

Baltimore Ravens

In Week 1, the Baltimore Ravens had multiple chances to put away the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football. But a couple of fumbles by Lamar Jackson and some late defensive woes were enough to propel the Raiders to victory over Baltimore in that contest. This week, Jackson will need to be better with the football in his hands if the Ravens want to avoid an 0-2 start.

Aside from Jackson’s turnovers and inaccuracy throwing the football, injuries were a key to Baltimore’s loss to start the year. They are without multiple key pieces of their secondary, which allowed Derek Carr to top 400 passing yards against them. Tasked with guarding the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce this week, those same injuries in the secondary could prove very costly for Baltimore.

Keys to the Game

For the Chiefs, the biggest key to this game will be to avoid another slow start. They had success in a primetime game against the Ravens last season and should come into this game with their confidence restored after beating a quality Browns team. But if they come out of the gate lethargic on the road, the Ravens could build the momentum that they need to avenge last season’s result against the Chiefs.

Baltimore’s biggest key to this game will be the performance of Lamar Jackson. Jackson has struggled against playoff-caliber teams in his career and failed to break 100 yards passing when the Ravens played the Chiefs in the regular season last year. If Jackson can make plays with his arm and his legs instead of just his legs, the Ravens will have a chance to pick up this victory and avoid falling into an 0-2 hole on the season.