Predictions for Chiefs vs. Ravens, Week 2

Are you ready for some football, Chiefs Kingdom?

Just as we have over the past five seasons, the Chiefs Wire staff will offer its weekly predictions for each Chiefs game. Below you’ll find all of our picks for Kansas City’s Week 2 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 7:20 p.m. CT at M&T Bank Stadium.

Charles Goldman's pick:

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

The Baltimore Ravens are battered, bruised and beat-up, with a ton of good players on injured reserve and several walking-wounded who might not play on Sunday. They’re coming into what is practically a must-win game on a short week after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football” There’s no doubt in my mind that Lamar Jackson is still a threat to go off and have a big game. How much help will he actually have against Kansas City? His protection wasn’t great in Week 1 and the Chiefs’ defensive line isn’t exactly a downgrade from the Raiders. We learned last week with Cleveland that opposing teams still have to play a perfect game in order to get a win against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs. Trotting out a bunch of replacement players with little time to prepare isn’t very conducive to playing mistake-free football. Meanwhile, Kansas City will have all 53 players on their roster available in Week 2. The Chiefs should win this one and do so convincingly.

Chiefs win 30-23

Wesley Roesch's pick:

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Two things stood out following the Chiefs' Week 1 win over the Browns: 1) the Chiefs' offensive line still needs time to gel, and 2) Kansas City and Cleveland are the two best teams in the AFC by far. Before the season began I thought Baltimore would be in the mix for that "best AFC team" category, but after the loss against the Raiders in Week 1 that opinion has changed. The Ravens had several chances to lock that game up but silly mistakes and poor defense kept them from the win. Kansas City has been a bad matchup for Baltimore over the years and I don't think much has changed for this matchup. Yes, I did note that the K.C. offensive line needs time to gel. But the Ravens haven't been able to generate much pass rush against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs, and with a weak secondary I don't think they can afford to send overloading blitz packages. I expect Mahomes to eat against the Baltimore defense and pull out another close victory.

Chiefs win 31-27

Ed Easton Jr.'s pick: Chiefs win 28 - 17

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have their near-annual matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, with the focus again on star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. While the two stars will grab the headlines, it will be each team's defenses that need to make plays to secure an early-season victory. The Ravens will try to get a running game going with their depleted running backs room. The Chiefs' defense should take advantage of this later in the game as both teams will trade-off making big plays in the first half. Mecole Hardman will use his frustration from the criticism he's recently received after last week's performance to make several key plays and seal another Kansas City victory.

Chiefs win 28-17

John Dillon's pick:

AP Photo/Ed Zurga

A strong showing against a formidable Browns team in Week 1 has Kansas City on track to continue their run of dominance in early games this year. The Chiefs' defense still has considerable room for improvement, but they proved they could tighten up in crunch time. It complements their clutch offense spearheaded by Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. Veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu is expected to play against Baltimore after missing the home opener, which should work in the defenses' favor as his presence is crucial to the unit's success. This matchup will be one for the ages, especially given that the Ravens have signed several former Chiefs in recent seasons. That also just dropped a tough game on the road in Las Vegas on Monday night. Lamar Jackson will have his hands full against Kansas City's secondary, and he could sneak a win past the Chiefs if there was any complacency in their preparation for this game. I'll call this one in favor of the Chiefs, but expect a back and forth game from the first quarter, save for the late-game heroics to deliver Kansas City their second win of 2021.

Chiefs win 35-29

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