Why Chiefs-Ravens is the best game of the NFL season
By Dustin Baker
1. Whoever wins will be the team to beat in the AFC
This is absolutely indisputable. Whichever team waltzes back into its locker room victorious will be the gold standard of the AFC. Whether that team wins via blowout, comfortable margin, squeaker, or controversial ending, the winning team will be penciled in as the frontrunner to visit Tampa this February.
Yes, there is a long way to go in the regular season and then a robust postseason awaits. But for the next couple of months, either the Chiefs or the Ravens will be circled as the zenith of the AFC.
Arguably, four other teams in the AFC are currently taken seriously as contenders within the Chiefs and Ravens realm,: The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and [maybe] the New England Patriots because of Bill Belichick’s mad science.
It’s important to note the team that is vanquished tonight is not relegated to mediocrity. In fact, an argument can be made that team will be peeved and even more motivated to exact vengeance in January. Therefore, as much as this contest will crown an AFC frontrunner, the losing team will still hold significant clout going forward.