A bold strategy: Ravens star issues a direct challenge to Patrick Mahomes

Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Roquan Smith has seen enough of the Kansas City Chiefs dominance. The Chiefs have won two straight Super Bowls, and on their path to a second defeated the Ravens at MT&T Bank Stadium in the AFC Championship Game.

With Patrick Queen out of the picture, Smith is the undisputed leader of the Ravens linebacking corps. Heck, even before Queen signed with the rival Steelers, Smith was one of the best defensive leaders in the NFL. Now, he and a talented Baltimore defense are tasked with stopping the best pound-for-pound quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes. To make matters even more challenging, Kansas City's offense improved at some vital skill positions this past offseason.

Nonetheless, Smith gave away the Ravens gameplan for Thursday night at Arrowhead, and it has everything and nothing to do with Mahomes.

Ravens star issues another challenge for Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes

Per Smith, the key to stopping Mahomes is to make the Chiefs one-dimensional, and rely too heavily on the passing game. While stopping the run should be first on the Ravens list in stopping just about every team on their schedule, that alone will not be enough to limit the damage Mahomes and Co. can do offensively.

Brett Veach and the Chiefs front office went above and beyond to add wide receiver talent to the roster, including the likes of Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy. Mahomes and Kansas City will look to stretch the defense early. Oh, and they still have that Travis Kelce guy.

Stopping the run is easier said than done, even against KC. Isiah Pacheco is one of the best young running backs in the NFL, and the wise addition of Samaje Perine (assuming he can play) gives the Chiefs another pass-catching threat out of the backfield.

The Ravens have been here before. They know exactly what they are in for as they travel to take on the defending champs on Thursday. However, it will take far more effort than last season to fully stop Kansas City in their tracks, even in Week 1.

Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson has preached consistency, and suggests Baltimore's rematch with the Chiefs is just another game.

“Any game I play in, I feel like it’s a revenge game,” Jackson said via the team’s official website.“I’m not just going to look at this game like a revenge game. Anybody we play, no matter if we’ve beaten them or lost to them in previous years, I just want to win.”

We all know better by now. The Chiefs will get the Ravens best shot, and then some. Per Smith, that all starts by stopping the run.