The Kansas City Chiefs (0-0) will play the Baltimore Ravens (0-0) on Thursday, September 5, 2024 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs are listed as favorites in this one, with the spread sitting at 3 points. The over/under in the outing is set at 47 points. Last year, the Chiefs finished 11-6 and won the Super Bowl. Offensively, they averaged 21.8 points per game (15th in NFL), and they allowed 17.3 per game (second in league) on defense. The Ravens were knocked out of the playoffs in the Conference Championship round last year, after finishing 13-4 during the regular season. They scored 28.4 points per game (fourth in league) and gave up 16.5 (first). Chiefs vs Ravens betting information NFL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Wednesday at 9:33 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Spread Favorite: Kansas City (-3) Moneyline: Kansas City (-151), Baltimore (+127) Total: 47 points Chiefs betting insights At home last season, Kansas City was 5-4 against the spread and 5-4 overall. The Chiefs had 10 wins in 17 games against the spread last season. As 3-point favorites or greater at home last season, Kansas City was 4-2 ATS. The Chiefs went 8-5 ATS as 3-point favorites or greater last year. Last year, in nine home games, Kansas City hit the over once. In 17 Chiefs games last season, five went over the total. Chiefs leaders Patrick Mahomes: 4,183 PASS YDS / 261.4 YPG / 67.2% / 27 TD / 14 INT / 75 CAR / 389 RUSH YDS / 0 TD Isiah Pacheco: 205 CAR / 935 YDS / 66.8 YPG / 7 TD / 44 REC / 244 YDS / 17.4 YPG / 2 TD Travis Kelce: 93 REC / 984 YDS / 65.6 YPG / 5 TD Rashee Rice: 79 REC / 938 YDS / 58.6 YPG / 7 TD Marquise Brown: 51 REC / 574 YDS / 44.2 YPG / 4 TD Chiefs vs Ravens game info Date: Thursday, September 5, 2024 Time: 8:20 p.m. ET City: Kansas City, Missouri Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium TV Channel: NBC Live Stream: Fubo (Watch Chiefs vs Ravens on Fubo) Live Stream: Watch on Peacock Watch the Kansas City Chiefs all season on Fubo! More NFL news Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside. We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Ravens Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens 2024 odds, tips and betting trends | Week 1
Vikings @ Giants Preview
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images A closer look at the Vikings’ Week One Matchup It’s officially Week One of the 2024-25 NFL season. The Minnesota Vikings travel to The Meadowlands to face the New York Giants to kick off the season. Let’s take a look at the matchup. PFF Matchup Below are the starting lineups in nickel defense and 11 offensive personnel according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). The player grades are their 2023 season grades where available- no grades for rookies. I suspect, however, that Andrew Van Ginkel will replace Jihad Ward for the Vikings defensively (91.1 grade) and that Josh Oliver (75.1 grade) will start at tight end for the Vikings, not Johnny Mundt. Oliver was listed as the starter in the latest Vikings’ official depth chart. For the Giants, they’ve got Devin Singletary (75.1 grade) at RB along with the rookie Tyrone Tracy shown below. Vikings Offense vs. Giants Defense Giants Offense vs. Vikings Defense Key Matchups When the Vikings have the ball, one of the key matchups will be the interior line versus Dexter Lawrence. Lawrence was the top graded defensive tackle last season and was a menace the last time the Vikings faced the Giants. That matchup should be a good early indication of where the interior line is at relative to the last games against the Giants in 2022. The Giants picked up edge rusher Brian Burns this off-season, but with Darrisaw and O’Neill, I don’t expect him to have a big game. The second matchup is the Vikings’ receivers versus the Giants’ defensive backs. Both Giants’ outside corners are coming off weak seasons and their safeties aren’t much better. Their slot corner is a rookie third-round pick in his first game. This is a matchup for the Vikings and Sam Darnold to exploit every which way they can and could lead to a confidence-building first outing in purple for Darnold. It’s also important to note that the Giants have a new defensive coordinator since the last matchup. Gone is Wink Martindale and his blitz-heavy, man coverage scheme and in is Shane Bowen and more of a four-man (five-man in base) single-gap penetrating style defensive line without much blitzing and more zone coverage in the secondary with some pattern matching mixed in and two-high safeties. Bowen likes to use wide-9 edge rushers on passing downs to spread out the offensive line along with 3-techs to allow the defensive tackles (Dexter Lawrence) one-on-one matchups against the guards. This approach and the Giants defensive personnel should allow for some opportunities in the run game. Lawrence is the only good run defender among the Giants’ starters on defense. It also opens up any number of Cover-2 beaters in the passing game. I could also see some play-action passes out of 12-personnel (2WRs, and 2TEs or 1 TE and 1 FB). When the Giants have the ball, key matchups will be the Vikings secondary on Malik Nabors, and the Flores pass rush versus the Giants’ offensive line. The Giants are okay at tackle, good at right guard, and weak at left guard and center. But how they handle Flores’ blitz packages will be interesting. And with the new edge rushers should be fun to watch. The Giants will want to get Nabors the ball as early and often as possible, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Flores has a plan for defending him even as a rookie in his first game. It will also be interesting to see how the new Vikings’ corners do in general. Sam Darnold Of course Sam Darnold will be the focus for all Vikings’ fans, as the new starting quarterback on whose performance the Vikings’ season hinges upon. How he does in his first game, win or lose, could influence how KOC steers the offense in the future and whether he continues with something similar to when Kirk Cousins was quarterback or if he decides to take more off his plate from a passing standpoint. Surprise! One of the most difficult things about the first few games of the season is that opponents have new stuff you don’t know about yet because it’s not on tape. Whether on offense or defense, surprises can cause problems if coaches and players are not prepared to deal with them. It helps to have veteran players and coaches who, while they may not have been expecting this or that from the current opponent, have seen it before with other teams and know how to respond to it. The Vikings are pretty good in that regard at both the player and coaching level, but surprises can mess up the call sheet. And for teams with a new coordinator and scheme and some young players, they may not have installed a play to respond to whatever the opponent has surprised them with or leaves them with only a second-best option. And this season, with the new kickoff rule, there could be some interesting plays teams have designed- but not shown in preseason- that could surprise as well. Game Line The lowly Vikings are a 1.5-point road favorite against the Giants- which tells you how bad the Giants are expected to be this season. The Vikings are also -125 moneyline favorites, implying a 55.6% chance of winning. The over/under point total is 41. Weather for the game is expected to be sunny and around 70 degrees.
Travis Kelce feels more physically ready for 2024 than previous seasons
Denny Medley-Imagn Images Kansas City’s superstar tight end met with local media on Tuesday ahead of the team’s season opening contest with Baltimore. A year can make a big difference in the NFL. As the Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Detroit Lions to open the 2023 season, star tight end Travis Kelce watched from the sideline after injuring his knee in practice leading up to the game. By winning their second Super Bowl in as many seasons, the Chiefs will again open the season on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens. After missing last year’s kickoff game, the league’s arguably most famous non-quarterback is not taking this showcase for granted. “I’m forever fortunate,” Kelce said to reporters after Tuesday’s practice, “to be able to play as many games as I’ve played already in this league. That’s why I really enjoy going out there every single day, even if it’s just a practice, to really work on my craft because I know not everybody gets that same fortune in their career. I’m ready to rock Week 1, and I’m thankful for it.” Kelce believes he has found the right balance to keep his body healthy after being limited by injury to start last season. “Physically,” he explained, “I feel just as good, if not more ready, than I have been in years past. Just because you get more comfortable with your body, you learn things from you from the mistakes you made in the years past and things like that. You just constantly keep getting better and keep getting more aware of where your body’s at.” Health is not the only way Kelce feels more prepared than earlier in his career as he enters his 13th professional season. “Completely different,” he declared of his veteran understanding of the nuances of the sport. “You’re just more comfortable, more aware the system, [and] the routines. You feel like you get just that much more of a heads up — or you’re kind of more advanced in terms of understanding scheme and things like that and just how you’re supposed to attack your opponent.” Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images Kelce admits that unforeseen health issues may cause him to change his seasonal routine. “We’ll see what challenges occur throughout the season,” he predicted. I think I’ve caught a good routine and a good groove of making sure that I’m at peak athletic ability to go out there and perform every single week. You just never know the nicks and the bumps and bruises that you get throughout the season. You might have to pick up something new along the way.” Even after last year’s health scare, Kelce claims the Chiefs have not talked to him about a reduced role to prolong his career. Doing so would likely be a fruitless endeavor. “No,” he confirmed. “I probably wouldn’t listen to them if they did.” Ultimately, what offensive weapon would want to limit their time paired with the league’s best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes? The relationship between the two has been well documented over the last half-decade. Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images “It’s the day-to-day stuff,” Kelce noted, “that makes it fun when you’re in the building with Pat Mahomes. He shows up, and he has a good time doing it — week in, week out, day in, day out. That’s the type of guy you want to come in to work with,” In his remarks Tuesday, Kelce stressed that it is more than being around Mahomes that makes him love playing for the Chiefs. “It’s just fun building those relationships throughout the building,” said Kelce. “Obviously, Pat is the one you guys see for the most part. But there’s a bunch of guys and women in this building that I hold dear, and I treat them like family. It’s because of just the type of people that the Kansas City Chiefs have been able to bring in.” Kelce’s leadership has long been cited by his teammates as helping them cope with difficult stretches of the season. The tight end recalled words from his college coach at Cincinnati to elaborate his mindset in motivating his peers. “What you’ve got to understand,” Kelce stressed, “is the goal and the team’s mindset is bigger than you, and everybody needs you to be at your best. My college coach Butch Jones always told me that you’re a fountain or drain, baby. You don’t want to be draining anybody out here, man. Give people life.”
Sports Illustrated’s 2025 NFL mock draft predicts doom for the Browns in 2024
Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Despite picking top 10, Browns select DT Mason Graham The 2024 NFL season is almost upon us which means, hopefully for Cleveland Browns fans, talk of the 2025 NFL draft is less than important. While we will continue to note interesting players from the 2024 college football season, the Browns are focused on living up to their big contracts and, perhaps, fulfilling the prediction of one Hall of Famer. That doesn’t mean NFL mock drafts won’t be interesting but, primarily, they will help us get to know prospects, like WR Tetairoa McMillan. As the season goes on, the predicted draft order also helps fans predict what might be for Cleveland. While hopes are high, at least inside Berea, Sports Illustrated’s NFL mock draft predicts doom and gloom for the Browns this season by having them select ninth overall. Despite that, which likely means QB Deshaun Watson either has a terrible season or gets hurt again, SI does not have Cleveland selecting a quarterback: 9. Cleveland Browns: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan The Browns could be a team in search of a first-round quarterback next year if Deshaun Watson doesn’t show consistency during his third season in Cleveland. But with three quarterbacks already gone in this mock draft, the Browns continue to load up their dominant defense with interior help for edge rusher Myles Garrett. Graham’s strength and relentless motor make him an ideal candidate to take over for veteran defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris. Interestingly, Colorado’s two-way stud Travis Hunter goes off the board with the next pick. Last year, the team selecting ninth finished with a 7-10 record which would mean Sports Illustrated is predicting the Browns to be approximately four games worse in 2024 than they were in 2023. For reference, Bleacher Report has the team selected 17th overall, just outside of the playoffs. If Cleveland’s season is as bad as predicted here, Graham would not be enough to make the fanbase excited for the future. Despite Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers and Shedeur Sanders off the board, Browns fans will be clamoring for Cam Ward or any other quarterback available at that point. What do you think of SI’s prediction of where the Browns will be selecting in next year’s draft? How would you feel if a bad season did not lead to a quarterback selection?
A few hot and not so hot takes heading into Rams 2024 season
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images 7 hot and not so hot takes heading into the Rams 2024 season The Los Angeles Rams will begin their season on Sunday Night Football against the Detroit Lions. Before the beginning of the year, it’s always a good time put out some predictions on how specific players or the overall team may perform. Here are some hot and not so hot takes that I have heading into 2024. Kyren Williams will eclipse 1,000 yards and show he is the lead back After the Rams drafted running back Blake Corum in the third round of the NFL Draft, there was some talk in media circles that he may take over for Kyren Williams. However, make no mistake, McVay loves Williams. This was a different offense with Williams on the field last season and there’s no question that McVay recognizes that. While Corum may cut into some of Williams’ touches, this is still his backfield. He may not be the bell cow that he was last year, but he’s still going to get a majority of the carries. Expect Williams to still hit the 1,000-yard mark and do so for the second consecutive season. This will be Cooper Kupp’s Final Year With the Rams At this point last year, not many would have expected Ernest Jones to be playing his final year with the Rams. The same can be said when the Rams moved on from Robert Woods. There’s a reason why the Rams didn’t touch Kupp’s contract this offseason when they could have to create more cap space. This could be a passing of the torch type season for Kupp and Puka Nacua. By trading Kupp, the Rams would save $12M next year and could save $15M with a post-June 1 cut designation. The Rams seem to do right by the player in these situations and try to allow them to pick their designation on the trade market. With Nacua’s contract up for negotiation following the 2025 season, the Rams could look to move on from Kupp to have clean cap at the position when they get to the negotiation table. Rams defense will surprise and finish top-15 after the bye week Navigating a new defensive coordinator, a young defense, and life after Aaron Donald, it may take some time for the Rams defense to find its footing. This is a group that will be tested right out of the gate with games against the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears all to start the year. Those are five daunting offenses and at least three of then could finish the season inside the top-10. This group took time to find themselves last year as well. However, after the Week 10 bye week, from Weeks 11-17, they finished 13th in EPA per play. After some early tests, the defense will find its identity and start playing like a top-15 unit from Weeks 6-18. The Rams will finish ahead of the 49ers in the NFC West This isn’t necessarily to say that the Rams will win the NFC West. However, the past two NFC representatives in the Super Bowl that lost suffered a Super Bowl hangover. The Rams missed the playoffs at 5-12 while the Eagles started hot, but stumbled down the stretch. Throughout the offseason, the 49ers have gone through contract drama with Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams. Both situations have gotten figured out, but both spent all of the offseason program away from the team. The 49ers have one of the more talented rosters in the NFL, but they also play a difficult schedule. It’s possible that due to the offseason drama that this team stumbles out of the gate and isn’t able to recover. If the Rams play how some are expecting them to and come out of the gate at full speed, it may give them the edge over their division rival. Run Game will bring back flashes of 2017-18 versions of the offense It would not be surprising if the Rams run game was one of the more efficient units in the NFL. With that in mind, the 2024 version of the Rams offense has the potential to be the most complete unit under Sean McVay since the 2017 and 2018 seasons. While Todd Gurley was the engine of those offenses, the thing that stuck out about those teams was the marriage between the run and the pass. Even when the Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021, they didn’t have much of a run game that they could fall back on. The identity of the offense was to let Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp run the show. Heading into this year, McVay has had an offseason to continue to build on the gap concepts introduced last season and that should result in the passing game evolving around that. We could see a lot more pistol formations and play action off of that as Kyren Williams and Blake Corum handle the run game. Tight ends will play large role in the offense After spending on Colby Parkinson in free agency, it should be expected that the Rams utilize the tight ends more in the offense. This could mean Davis Allen lining up out wide or as a “big slot” receiver in addition to Colby Parkinson also getting involved in the passing game. Parkinson should also add a lot as a blocker in the run game. At the end of the day, the Rams offense is always going to primarily operate out of 11 personnel. With that said, that doesn’t mean that McVay won’t introduce more 12 personnel and heavier looks. With two primary wide receivers in Kupp and Nacua, the Rams should have more flexibility to play more two tight end sets. This isn’t to say that Allen or Parkinson are going to each have 500 yards receiving, but there should definitely be a little more involvement. Braden Fiske will lead rookies in sacks Last season,
WATCH: Ravens release epic hype video ahead of NFL Opening Kickoff game vs. Chiefs
WATCH: Ravens release epic hype video ahead of NFL Opening Kickoff game vs. Chiefs glenn erby The Ravens departed for Kansas City on Wednesday, and as the team starts preparation for a huge opening week matchup against the Super Bowl champion Chiefs, the energy surrounding this team is all about rising up. Baltimore suffered a 17-10 loss to Patrick Mahomes and company in the AFC title game last year, and although that was last year, the onus is on the Ravens and, most importantly, MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson to get off to a positive and efficient start on the road. https://Twitter.com/Ravens/status/1831467278874919418 American Violinist and songwriter Lindsey Sterling led the charge, as the 2:22 second video focused on a gritty city in Baltimore, being all in on the Super Bowl hopeful Ravens, with the focus being on ‘We Rise.’
Predict the outcome of Bengals vs. Patriots
Photo by Winslow Townson/Getty Images Sound off! Greetings, Bengals fans! With the regular season now here, so too comes the return of our weekly Bengals Reacts Survey! This week, we’re keeping it simple: Are you confident this franchise is headed in the right direction? And what is your prediction for how Sunday’s opener plays out against the New England Patriots? The Bengals enter the game as the biggest favorite in NFL Week 1. The spread is currently 8.5 points in favor of the home team, but we all know Week 1 can be very tricky, so don’t expect Sunday’s opener to be easy by any stretch. Sound off in the poll below and in the comments section! Please take our survey Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cincinnati Bengals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Indianapolis Colts Injury Report: WR Josh Downs and K Matt Gay DNP
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images The Indianapolis Colts released their Wednesday practice report. The Indianapolis Colts today released their Wednesday injury report for Week 1 of the NFL season ahead of their Sunday game against the Houston Texans. Wednesday’s practice report for #HOUvsIND: pic.twitter.com/cyWzWF9wRy — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 4, 2024 Wide receiver Josh Downs did not practice today due to an ankle injury. Downs injured his ankle during training camp practice and has been unable to practice and missed some pre-season action. Downs was given around a 4-6 week timetable of return from the ankle sprain and this week is at the 4 week mark. There was some hope for Doens today as he was seen testing out his ankle during individual rehab at practice but it doesn’t look likely he features week 1 at the moment. Kicker Matt Gay did not practice today due to a groin injury. Gay injured his groin during training camp leading to him missing the teams last pre-season game. Gay not practicing doesn’t bode well for him kicking Sunday especially with it being a lower body injury. The Colts did sign a back up kicker to the practice squad in Spencer Shrader who proved to be a capable replacement in the pre-season.
Raiders injury report: 2 key rookies return
Brock Bowers | Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images 1st-rpound pick ready for first big practice day of Week 1 The Las Vegas Raiders got a big boost Wednesday as they begin preparations in earnest for Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT. Las Vegas head coach announced at his press briefing Wednesday that first-round drat pick, tight end Brock Bowers and fifth-round pick, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg are ready to practice. #Raiders coach Antonio Pierce says rookie TE Brock Bowers will be at practice, “Ready to go.” LB Tommy Eichenberg? “Ready to go.” — Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 4, 2024 That should put both Bowers, of Georgia, and Eichenberg, of Ohio State, in line to be ready to play Sunday against the Chargers barring setbacks. Bowers has missed three weeks of practice and two preseason games with a foot injury. Pierce had maintained that Bowers was being kept out for precautionary reasons and the coach was hopeful he’d be able to play in Week 1. Eichenberg was out for personal and health reasons, Bowers should start, while Eichenberg will will be a backup and special teamer to start the season. #Raiders are pretty much fully healthy ahead of their season opener with the Chargers. — Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) September 4, 2024 The Raiders’ first injury report of the season will be available after practice and this post will be updated then. UPDATE:Bowers, Eichenberg and fourth-round pick, cornerback Decamerion Richardson were all limited. Every player on the 53-man roster practiced. The #Raiders first injury report of the season… pic.twitter.com/vYibhwSDRD — Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 4, 2024
Bills vs. Cardinals: Wednesday injury reports
First injury reports of the year for both teams: Bills vs. Cardinals: Wednesday injury reports Nick Wojton Here are the Wednesday injury reports for the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills ahead of their Week 1 matchup at Highmark Stadium: Arizona Cardinals (0-0) Did not practice WR Xavier Weaver (oblique) Limited participation TE Tip Reiman (ankle) Full practice N/A Buffalo Bills (0-0) Did not practice DE Javon Solomon (oblique) Limited participation QB Mitchell Trubisky (knee) Full practice S Cole Bishop (shoulder) TE Quintin Morris (shoulder) WR Curtis Samuel (toe)
