Fansided

Why Kansas City still isn't scared of Baltimore even as Ravens improve to 7-3

The Ravens are good, but the Chiefs still have reason to believe they should be considered the favorites in the AFC.

By Zachary Rotman

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) celebrates with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after scoring against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) celebrates with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after scoring against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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The Baltimore Ravens responded, bouncing back from a rough first half to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 35-34 in a wild Thursday Night Football game. This high-powered Ravens offense was held to just seven points in the first half, but exploded for 28 points down the stretch to earn a big win. At 7-3, they could jump into first place in the AFC North depending on the outcome of the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 10 game.

This game showed just how dangerous Baltimore can be. Their offense looked stagnant but woke up in an eye blink. They were able to score 35 points despite their two best receivers, Zay Flowers and Diontae Johnson, combining for five catches and 40 yards.

This kind of offensive showing gives NFL fans reason to believe Baltimore can challenge any team in the AFC - even the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. While that shouldn't be completely ruled out, Chiefs fans shouldn't be scared of Baltimore even after the Ravens' big win.

Ravens show why Chiefs shouldn't be scared of them despite big win

They won, and their offense is a machine, but can we talk about this defense? More than halfway through the season it still looks suspect at best, and the secondary especially remains an issue.

The Ravens allowed Joe Burrow to throw for 426 yards and four passing touchdowns. Ja'Marr Chase had a whopping 264 receiving yards and three touchdowns. What should've been a comfortable win with how the offense played proved to be entirely too close for comfort thanks in large part to the secondary. If Zac Taylor coached better or the refs didn't miss several calls late, the Bengals could've easily won it, too.

Yes, Kyle Hamilton getting hurt impacted things, and new acquisition Tre'Davious White didn't play, but this secondary was arguably the worst in the NFL, even before this game with Hamilton in it. Does the addition of a past-his-prime Tre'Davious White really change much?

Through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Ravens rank dead last in the NFL, surrendering 294.9 passing yards per game. That's over 30 yards worse per game than what the 2-7 Jacksonville Jaguars allow. Their offense is great, but can this team really make a deep playoff run if their defense gets torched repeatedly like this?

The Chiefs will have a tough task slowing Baltimore's prolific offense down but they've allowed just 18.4 points per game this season - good for fourth in the NFL as of this writing. Is anyone going to doubt Steve Spagnuolo's defense at this point?

The Chiefs offense hasn't exactly been torching the league so far this season, but they have looked better in recent weeks. New addition DeAndre Hopkins just had his breakout game in their Week 9 win. Are we going to assume that Patrick Mahomes won't torch a very beatable defense in the playoffs? Have we not seen him do that time and time again?

The Ravens are great, and have the offense to win. The Chiefs, however, have one of the league's best defenses. They've already beaten Baltimore this season thanks in large part to their defense, and there's no reason to believe that their offense wouldn't put up big numbers against Baltimore's defense.

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