Ravens must improve to dethrone Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The Ravens showed a lot of heart in their 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in their season opener Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium, but that will only take a team so far in the NFL.

The Ravens need to get more out of their playmakers on both offense and defense to make a deep run in the playoffs. Kansas City will do that, which is why the Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowl titles and could become the first team in league history to win three in a row.

But can the Ravens challenge them?

You should never put too much weight on the first game, as it is actually the fourth game of the preseason and there are 16 more regular season games to go. If the Ravens had won, Baltimore would have gone crazy Friday morning. But after another loss to Kansas City, you wonder if the Ravens can break that dominance now that quarterback Lamar Jackson is 1-5 against Kansas City.

The Chiefs have won four Super Bowl titles, winning in 1969, 2019, 2022 and 2023. They also have Patrick Mahomes, perhaps the best quarterback of all time, who is compared to the GOAT Tom Brady. The Chiefs also have coach Andy Reid and his postseason record of 26-16.

Granted, Kansas City will get better, like it did at the end of last season, but where does that leave Baltimore? The Ravens play with a lot of heart and fighting determination, but that might not be good enough in 2024. Honestly, this season may really be a year of minor rebuilding, especially on the interior lines.

“That didn’t happen in the end, but [I’m] “I'm proud of the way the guys fought,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We're only going to get better from here on out, and I'm excited about that. We're excited to get back to work next week and get ready for the Raiders.”

There's that harsh talk again.

It would have been an upset for the Ravens to win here on Thursday night. Arrowhead was buzzing as the Chiefs raised another championship banner, and this stadium was already considered the loudest in the NFL. The Ravens missed the win by a toe when tight end Isaiah Likely's foot touched the back line of the end zone on the final play of regulation, but it wasn't good enough.

That's never the case against Kansas City, and it wasn't the case last year when the Chiefs beat the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC title game in Baltimore. There must be serious doubt in the psyche of Baltimore fans about whether the Ravens can overtake the Chiefs.

It's no longer about the AFC North and whether the Ravens can win the division against Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Cincinnati. The road to the championship leads through Kansas City.

It really is that simple.

Ravens vs. Chiefs, September 5, 2024 | PHOTOS

“We managed to put ourselves in a position where we have a chance to win the game, even [when] “Nothing went right in the game – at least on our side of the ball,” Ravens running back Derrick Henry said. “There are a lot of things we can learn from and a lot of things we can continue to build on. That's what you want to do as a team – learn from the mistakes and look at the positives.”

As the game progressed, Kansas City stayed true to its system, especially its offense, which relies on Mahomes, who completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards and achieved a passer rating of 101.9.

As for the Ravens, they continue to have a chaotic offense. Their best play, even though coordinator Todd Monken is in his second season, is still Jackson running around and making something out of nothing. That's great up to a point, but it doesn't win championships.

Jackson was outstanding, running 16 times for 122 yards and completing 26 of 41 passes for 273 yards, including an electrifying run and 49-yard touchdown pass to Likely early in the fourth quarter. But he missed three potential touchdown passes throughout the game.

Mahomes makes plays like that, but Jackson doesn't, especially in important games. Kansas City's offensive plan revolves around Mahomes, running back Isiah Pacheco, receiver Rashee Rice and tight end Travis Kelce.

The Ravens had Jackson and slot receiver Zay Flowers in their ranks, but most of their other weapons – Likely, fellow tight end Mark Andrews, and receivers Nelson Agholor and Rashod Bateman – were ignored until the second half.

Did the Ravens practice throughout training camp? What happened to Henry, who had just 13 carries for 46 yards? Granted, the Ravens have been playing without three starters on the offensive line for a year, but why didn't they move Jackson more in the pocket instead of letting him take pressure up the middle while guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalale were constantly getting beat?

“I definitely won a lot of duels today, a lot of us did,” said Bateman. “We just need to find ways to get the ball to the playmakers – whatever that may look like.”

The Ravens looked lost defensively at times, especially in the flat field where outside linebackers met running backs. The pass rush was solid but far from spectacular. Of course, it was Mahomes who is almost as elusive as Jackson, but the Ravens need to get more out of outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo.

There were plenty of missed tackles, some even by All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton. On the other hand, Kansas City is coached by longtime defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and the Ravens are led by first-year coordinator Zach Orr.