Ravens could come to regret unintentional Chiefs bulletin-board material

The Baltimore Ravens will face the Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC Championship Game rematch to start the 2024 regular season. While there is plenty to be said about these two teams as they gear up for the next campaign, we are still months away from September.

Still, that didn't stop Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely from running his mouth just a few short days ago. When prompted with the possibility of a Chiefs-Ravens rematch to start the season, Likely warned fans and pundits alike not to underrate Baltimore, even against the defending back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

Likely mentions the Ravens Christmas Day game against the San Francisco 49ers as the last time Baltimore was a true underdog. The last time that happened, the Ravens went into San Francisco and won by two touchdowns.

Did the Ravens just give the Chiefs some bulletin-board material?

On Up & Adams, Likely was sure to hype up the Ravens offense after an impressive offseason in which they added Derrick Henry and then some.

"Not only do you have Lamar Jackson in the backfield, you have Derrick Henry in the backfield, where you also have to worry about our run game," Likely said Thursday on the 'Up & Adams Show.'"Then you have All-Pro Mark Andrews, where you obviously have to give credit where credit is due. Then you also have great receivers like Zay (Flowers) and (Rashod) Bateman and then also you have me. You have to worry about anybody at any point in time in the offense going the distance."

Likely played well last season after Mark Andrews suffered a knee injury. He is a fine player. Yet, the Chiefs faced the vaunted Ravens in the AFC title game and I recall that game going a certain way.

Baltimore is a worthy opponent and perhaps the only rival in the AFC with a real chance at stopping the Chiefs from a three-peat. Super Bowls aren't won in September, however, and no one knows this better than the Ravens.

The Chiefs lost their season opener to the Detroit Lions in 2023, yet overcame a slow start to take home another Lombardi Trophy. The Ravens ought to have greater goals than a win on Sept. 5, and providing KC with bulletin-board material won't help matters.