Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in the 2024 NFL season opener in what will be a much-anticipated rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game, and the Chiefs have opened up as slight favorites.
FanDuel SportsBook has listed the Chiefs as 2.5-point favorites over the Ravens, which certainly makes sense considering the matchup will be at Arrowhead Stadium.
The game will take place on Sept. 5.
Kansas City defeated Baltimore by a score of 17-10 for a spot in the Super Bowl this past January, topping the Ravens M&T Bank Stadium. It marked the first time the Chiefs played an AFC Championship Game on the road in the Mahomes era, but they still managed to come away with the victory against Jackson and Co.
Of course, Kansas City then went on to beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, marking the club’s second straight championship.
The Chiefs are now looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
Kansas City may be coming off of back-to-back titles, but that does not mean the road there was easy.
The Chiefs actually struggled during the regular season in 2023, even enduring a stretch where they went 3-5 and looked incredibly vulnerable. As a matter of fact, at that time, many had the Ravens pegged as Super Bowl favorites. Some even felt the Buffalo Bills had a better chance of making it out of the AFC than Kansas City.
Oddly enough, it was the Chiefs’ offense that let them down at times last season, as the team was very thin at wide receiver. Kansas City ended up going 11-6 and winning its eighth straight AFC West division title, but some cracks in the armor were definitely present.
The Chiefs then hosted just one home playoff game, defeating the Miami Dolphins handily in the Wild Card Round before embarking on a road gauntlet against the Bills and Ravens. Kansas City was able to outlast Buffalo in a nail-biter before edging Baltimore in a slobberknocker.
Mahomes then came through with some big-time plays late in the second half and overtime in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory over the 49ers.
The question is, how much longer can Kansas City keep this up? Fatigue has to be a factor at this point. Not just physical fatigue, but mental exhaustion. There is a reason why no team has ever won three straight Super Bowls. It is exceedingly difficult. Going back-to-back takes a rampant toll on the players; let alone three-peating.
The Chiefs did make some moves to help Mahomes this offseason, signing wide receiver Marquise Brown in free agency and then adding fellow wide out Xavier Worthy in the NFL Draft. However, Rashee Rice has gotten himself into some pretty serious legal trouble and may end serving a lengthy suspension in 2024, which may very well put Kansas City back at square one in terms of weaponry.
Plus, one of these years, another AFC team is going to break through. The Bills’ window may have closed, but the Ravens are still right there. Will this be the year Jackson finally elevates his squad in the postseason and leads Baltimore to the Super Bowl? Or maybe the upstart Houston Texans will crash the Chiefs’ party? Heck, the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets may be in the mix, too.
Keep in mind that Kansas City has also generally avoided major injuries throughout this five-year run in which the club has won three championships and participated in four Super Bowls. One significant injury next season, and the Chiefs could be in for some big problems.
The point is, 2023 was very hard for Kansas City. It’s not going to be any easier in 2024. In fact, it may prove even more difficult.