Week 2 SNF key matchups: Chiefs vs. Ravens
Mike Florio and Peter King analyze the biggest matchups in Week 2's Sunday Night Football clash between the Chiefs and the Ravens, focusing on Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Lamar Jackson.
Video Transcript
MIKE FLORIO: Time now for more PFT on Yahoo Sports. All the biggest stories in the NFL. Peter King, Mike Florio here with you. We get a sneaky great early season Sunday night game. We're so focused on Bucs-Patriots coming up in just a couple of weeks. Oh, how about Ravens-Chiefs right out of the gates? The Chiefs, the Ravens' self-styled kryptonite. Although they may have to worry about the Raiders having a little pocket full of kryptonite after what we saw on Monday night. As we get ready for this game coming up, as the Ravens host the Chiefs, what are the key matchups, Peter, you're looking for? And I know it's still early. But where's your lean as these two potential powerhouses get together?
PETER KING: You know, obviously it's going to be a tough game for Baltimore to win. Anybody who beats Kansas City is really, really good. But I also think that you could turn this on its head, Mike, and say, in essence, are the Kansas City Chiefs going to be able to keep what I think will be a good pass rush-- and, look, against the Raiders, the pass rush of the Baltimore Ravens was very in and out.
And, you know, you could tell that Wink Martindale, the defensive coordinator of the Ravens, really had to bring extra bodies to put pressure on Derek Carr. It was hard getting it just with the regular pass rush. But to me, that's what they're going to need to do. And they're going to have to rely on, you know, Marlon Humphrey to take Tyreek Hill out of this game and to maybe come in with some safety blitzes too. So it's going to really eliminate some of the back end because I think what the Ravens are going to have to do is pressure Patrick Mahomes with more than just the regular front.
MIKE FLORIO: Yeah. You're absolutely right. And they need to get to him because on the back end with Marcus Peters out-- and we saw the struggles that the Ravens had with the Raiders pass catchers. And I guess you could argue the Raiders run a little more deep at receiver and tight end than the Chiefs do because beyond Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, we don't have a clear number three. But they're getting it done all over the place in Las Vegas. But still, Hill and Kelce have to be accounted for. That's going to be a key, is slowing them down on the back end. And if you do blitz, you better make sure that guys are covered, or Patrick Mahomes will rip you apart, as we've seen in due time and again.
Another factor in this game, Peter-- and this applies not just to the Ravens, but also to the Raiders on Sunday. A long physical Monday night game deep into overtime. The hitting was intense. It was almost post-season quality hitting. Both teams have to pack up and cross the country. Raiders with the Steelers. Ravens are home facing the Chiefs on one fewer day of rest than you'd ordinarily have. That's going to be a factor for the Ravens. They've got to manage their bodies and get themselves healthy. Lamar Jackson got the crap beat out of him on Monday night when he was running the football. They got to be ready to go because they could be facing another very physical opponent in the Chiefs.
PETER KING: Three quick observations there, Mike. Number one, Lamar Jackson just has to play better. He's got to play. He's got to take better care of the football. He's got to be more accurate than he was against the Raiders. Number two, we would have, I think, been killing Jon Gruden and Derek Carr coming out of that game for the absolutely myopic focus on Darren Waller in this game. I don't know how many-- what did he have? 19, 20 targets?
MIKE FLORIO: 19 targets. 19.
PETER KING: He had almost half of Derek Carr's targets. And they simply have to get some good wide receivers. I mean, look, I don't want to sound the alarm yet for Henry Ruggs. But Henry Ruggs simply is not a big enough part of the Raiders' game plan yet. And so I think Ruggs and Renfroe particularly have to get more involved against Pittsburgh. And then the final thing I would say is, you know, I think what last night proved-- or what Monday night proved, excuse me-- is that the Ravens can figure out a running game. They'll figure it out. But the other parts of the game for them are still difficult. And I think right now they need a great game from Lamar Jackson against the Chiefs throwing the ball in order to beat Kansas City.
MIKE FLORIO: Yeah. They were more versatile early in the game. But when it got down to crunch time, they kept going back to what's worked for them the past few years. That doesn't necessarily always work, as we saw last night. That's it for now. See you're for more PFT on Yahoo Sports Videos throughout the season.
