The Kansas City Chiefs will have an opportunity to even their record on Sunday afternoon in a big-time matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
Here are five things to keep in mind heading into game day.
1. Here's a look at the final injury report for both teams.
The Chiefs are set to get a major offensive reinforcement on Sunday as wide receiver Xavier Worthy appears to be good to go after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury. Worthy, who suffered the injury on just the third snap of the season-opener against Los Angeles, was a full participant in practice all week long.
"[He looks] fast," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "He kept himself in good shape and ready to go. He looked good."
The Chiefs officially listed three players with injury designations for Sunday, those being defensive end Ashton Gillotte ("Questionable" due to an illness and elbow injury), cornerback Kristian Fulton ("Questionable" due to an ankle injury) and defensive end Mike Danna ("Doubtful" due to a quad injury).
As for the Ravens, they'll be without defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on Sunday due to a neck injury. Madubuike, who led the Ravens in pressures last season with 56, is a significant loss for a Ravens' defense that has, somewhat inexplicably, allowed the second-most points of any team in the NFL so far this season.
Baltimore will also be without defensive tackle Broderick Washington (ankle) on Sunday, sidelining a player who was on the field for 45% of the Ravens' defensive snaps through the first three weeks of the season.
The Ravens listed a handful of impact players as "Questionable" as well, including starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), defensive tackle Travis Jones (knee) and tight end Isaiah Likely (foot).
2. This will be the seventh edition of Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson.
It's not an exaggeration to say that Sunday's game marks yet another clash between two of the top quarterbacks in league history, and the numbers back that up.
In fact, when Sunday's game kicks off, Mahomes and Jackson will become just the fourth set of multiple-time MVP-winning quarterbacks to face off multiple times. Here's the previous instances:
Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning (3 times)
Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers (3 times)
Brett Favre vs. Kurt Warner (3 times)
This will mark the seventh clash between Mahomes and Jackson, but just the second since Jackson became a multiple-time MVP recipient.
Sunday's game will also include two of the top quarterbacks in terms of winning percentage in NFL history. Mahomes owns the best mark in league history at .783, while Jackson ranks fourth at .732. Additionally, in terms of all-time passer rating, Jackson ranks first in NFL history (103.1) while Mahomes ranks fourth (101.6)
The numbers and accolades are just about endless. This is already a classic matchup in NFL history, and one that fans will be talking about decades down the line. The Chiefs have won five of the previous six games against Jackson, and with a chance to get back to .500 on the season, Kansas City will look to improve on that record this weekend.
3. The Ravens have scored the most points of any team in the NFL so far.
Lamar Jackson is off to an outstanding start through three games this season, leading the NFL in offensive touchdowns (10), passing touchdowns (9), passer rating (141.8) and passing yards-per-attempt (9.6) all without committing a single turnover.
Specifically, his 141.8 passer rating is the second-highest mark through three games for any quarterback in the last 50 seasons. Only Tom Brady (in 2007) posted a better figure. That performance has served as the catalyst for a Ravens' offense that leads the NFL in points-per-game (37.0) and plays of 20+ yards (16).
So, it all begs the question: Why are the Ravens 1-2?
Well, Baltimore's record through three games is the result of a handful of reasons, but one major factor has been the presence of a late, critical turnover in each of its losses. The Ravens have only committed two giveaways all year (both fumbles), but each play took place at a crucial moment in the game in which Baltimore was either protecting a lead (in Buffalo) or seeking to take the lead (vs. Detroit).
Remarkably, tailback Derrick Henry – who lost just eight fumbles in eight career seasons prior to this year – was responsible for both plays. It's part of what has been an up-and-down season for Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on just 18 carries in Week 1, but just 73 yards on 23 carries in the two games since.
Regardless, Henry is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, and those recent struggles aside, the Chiefs will need to slow him down on Sunday in order to contain the Ravens' offense. The Chiefs have held Henry under 100 rushing yards in three of their five meetings with him under Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and they'll need a similar performance this weekend.
4. Detroit sacked Jackson seven times last week.
Jackson is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in league history, making the Lions' performance against him last week – which matched a career-high for Jackson with seven sacks – all the more remarkable.
Additionally, five of those sacks (and 11 pressures) took place on snaps in which Jackson wasn't blitzed. The Lions recorded a pressure rate of 50% on those snaps, and when Jackson tried to scramble, Detroit showed tremendous discipline by closing off all of his escape lanes.
It was a phenomenal defensive effort by Detroit, and for what it's worth, the Chiefs – after blitzing at the highest rate in the league through two weeks – generated a pressure rate of 54.1% last week despite only blitzing six times (on 37 dropbacks). In other words, Kansas City created pressure on 18 of 31 dropbacks in which only four rushers went after the quarterback last week.
That's a big deal, and a similar effort on Sunday would go a long way toward a Chiefs win.
5. Baltimore's defense has allowed the second-most points in the league.
Perhaps the primary reason behind Baltimore's 1-2 start this year is the performance of its defense, which has allowed the second-most points-per-game (32.0) of any team in the NFL. The Ravens are also allowing the second-most passing yards in the NFL (266.0), and the third-most rushing yards in the league (149.0).
Those struggles are hard to believe considering the slew of talent Baltimore has on defense, and upon a closer look, the Ravens' slow start on that side of the ball likely has its roots in their struggles against the run. Baltimore was outstanding against the run last year, earning the No. 4 overall run-defense "grade" according to Pro Football Focus' metrics. This year, Baltimore is last in the NFL against the run according to that same scale.
The Ravens missed 20 tackles last week as Detroit piled up 220 yards on the ground, 157 of which took place after first contact.
So, a big performance from the Chiefs' running game would be a welcome sight on Sunday, and it's worth pointing out that Kansas City found some success on the ground last week. The Chiefs rushed for 105 yards vs. New York, and unlike the first two weeks of the year – when quarterback Patrick Mahomes was by far the team's leading rusher – Kansas City's stable of tailbacks led the way against the Giants with 92 yards on 22 carries between them.
The Chiefs will need a similar effort on Sunday in order to ultimately open things up in the passing game, and while Kansas City isn't off to the start it expected heading into the season, this weekend's game marks a great opportunity to not only even its record, but also to make a statement along the way.
