Chiefs vs. Ravens: Game and score predictions

For Week 1’s Kansas City Chiefs game against the Cleveland Browns, the Arrowhead Pride staff came fairly close to the mark. Just one of our writers picked the Browns to win — and as a whole, we predicted a 35.5-26.8 victory. The two teams scored 62 points in Kansas City’s 33-29 win — just 0.3 points away from our composite pick.

Our contributors who predicted victory were split to the extremes; 46% called for a close game, while 38% thought it would be a blowout. In contrast, only 16% of our readers expected a blowout — while 38% thought it would be an easy win.

Let’s see what the staff — and our readers — think about the Week 2 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.

Tom Childs (@tomchilds56)

All I can see is a repeat of last year’s matchup. Both teams come in on the polar opposites of health. But even on a day when both squads are fully fit, the Chiefs still match up well against the Ravens. But with all of those players missing for the home side, it will be an almost impossible task for Baltimore. Chiefs 38, Ravens 24

John Dixon (@Arrowheadphones)

After blowing their chance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1, Baltimore will be coming into their home opener hungry for a victory. Justin Houston and Sammy Watkins will be motivated for big games. But Lamar Jackson — while still a threat as a runner — is looking less and less like the quarterback of a contending team. I think the Ravens’ ground game will gain some yards — and score some points — but Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will make the difference. Chiefs 31, Ravens 27

Talon Graff (@CoachGraff34)

Talk about your string of bad luck! Similar to the way the San Francisco 49ers lost a number of key contributors in 2020, the Ravens are dealing with numerous injuries. Their electric Lamar Jackson-led offense that has become so familiar to us all struggled — and ultimately fell — to the Raiders in Week 1. The defense didn’t look much better with a questionable strategy — one that if applied against the Chiefs, will be disastrous. The Chiefs and the Ravens have formed a bit of a rivalry in recent seasons, but Kansas City has maintained the upper hand. The Ravens are well-coached — but on paper, this is a blowout. All signs point to one on the field, too. I think this should be a great opportunity for Mahomes and crew to get up early, then utilize the time to tighten up the running game. Chiefs 38, Ravens 28

Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels)

This is simply not a good matchup for the Ravens — and with all their injuries, it becomes even more of a mismatch. Baltimore loves to blitz, which is something that Mahomes welcomes with open arms. The Ravens also made the Raiders defensive line look historical during Monday Night Football — and that was with All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who will be out this Sunday. If the Chiefs play to their potential, this should be a rout. Chiefs 45, Ravens 24

Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp)

The only reason I’m not confident in a blowout Chiefs victory is that I’m super confident in a blowout Chiefs victory — if that makes any sense. There are too many reasons for the Ravens to be unable to hang with the Chiefs in this one — but no matter the circumstances, I also believe in Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s ability to field a competitive team. So to protect their secondary (and throw off the Chiefs), I think Baltimore will come out with a different defensive game plan than they usually use. It’ll be a tight game through the first half — but eventually, Mahomes and company put it away. Chiefs 30, Ravens 17

Rocky Magaña (@RockyMagana)

The Ravens are ravaged by injuries. Their defense was unable to consistently get home with their blitz packages against Derek Carr and company. As many thought he would, Lamar Jackson has not developed as a downfield passer. Historically, games between Baltimore and Kansas City have not been very close; the average margin of victory has been 11.7 points. I want to say it’s going to be a blowout, but the old-school Chiefs fan in me knows better; this game feels like a trap. Still, there is no way the Ravens stop Mahomes. With the Kansas City defense back to full strength, I don’t think Lamar’s legs will be enough to save them. Chiefs 31, Ravens 20

Kramer Sansone (@KramerTalks)

The Ravens will have a tough one against the Chiefs this week. Our Madden simulation of the game predicted a Chiefs win — and I am siding with it. The Ravens are riddled with injuries. With Frank Clark back, the Chiefs’ pass rush will be in full effect — and you should expect a big game from Chris Jones. Lamar Jackson will be running for his life. Even on Monday night — when the Raiders rushed only four players — Jackson had to scramble around. Once the Chiefs get up on the scoring, there will be no looking back. The Ravens will have to rely on Jackson’s arm to carry the load — and I don't see that happening. Chiefs 34, Ravens 20

Jared Sapp (@TrumanChief)

When looking at the previous matchups, all the attention goes to Mahomes vs. Jackson. But the way that Steve Spagnuolo has been so much better at scheming against Jackson than his Ravens counterpart Wink Martindale has been at scheming against Mahomes has been just as big of a story. In this game, Spagnuolo has the advantage of getting key starters back — while Martindale will play shorthanded against an offense that played dramatically better as the game went on during Week 1. This will be one of those Andy Reid games that frustrate Chiefs fans. In the second and early third quarters, the Chiefs will look unstoppable, building a big lead. Reid will then start playing to bleed the clock — both to reduce the chance of injury and because a former assistant is on the opposite sideline. The Ravens will score late, making the final score seem as lopsided than the game really was. Chiefs 34, Ravens 24

Stephen Serda (@StephenSerda)

The Ravens lost a heartbreaker to the Raiders on Monday Night Football — but that game only made me believe even more in the ability of Lamar Jackson. His offensive line struggled against an inferior pass rush — and headed into the season, they’ve dealt with countless injuries. This is still a team that can contend, so it won’t be an easy Chiefs victory — but at the end of the day, Mahomes and company just have too much firepower for the Ravens offense to keep up. As we’ve seen in their previous matchups, this should be a good game — but Kansas City will continue its streak of wins over Baltimore. Chiefs 31, Ravens 24

Matt Stagner (@stagdsp)

After last week, this might seem like an easier game for the Chiefs. Both schematically and in personnel, the Browns were a really difficult matchup. The Ravens are dealing with serious injury issues, losing to a mediocre Raiders team in overtime on Monday night. But I still wouldn’t take them too lightly. They still have an MVP quarterback and a physical group of players who can punch an opponent in the mouth and run the ball down their throat. The fact that they are coming off of a loss might work in their favor; they’ll be fighting with their backs against the wall. They also have really good tight ends who can make plays over the middle, which was a problem for the Kansas City defense in Week 1. All of that said, your Chiefs will have a defense closer to full strength with Clark and Mathieu back — and both will have something to prove. You’ve still got the best player in the world — and two of the best offensive weapons in NFL history — behind a vastly improved (and improving) offensive line. I think this could be a back-and-forth game — but in the end, the Chiefs should win fairly comfortably. Chiefs 35, Ravens 24

Bryan Stewart (@BryanStewart_)

There are a lot of reasons to think the Chiefs can run away with this game handily — but I have to believe Baltimore will rise up to produce a competitive matchup for their Sunday Night Football home opener. In the end, the Ravens’ injuries — and the overall mismatch — will prove to be too much. The Ravens defense can’t blitz Mahomes frequently — like they have in the past — or this game will get ugly. I think they will change their approach for the better — but on the strength of a dominant performance from the defensive line, the Chiefs ultimately win. Chiefs 26, Ravens 17

Pete Sweeney (@pgsween)

A defense such as the Ravens’ — one that favors deploying blitzes and heavy man coverage — is never a good matchup for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. But that’s when the Ravens are healthy. In this game, they are very much not healthy. We consistently talk about the Chiefs running away with a game, but it has been a while since it’s happened. I think that on Sunday night, it finally does. Chiefs 38, Ravens 19

Ethan Willinger (@ecwillinger)

Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember? Ba-dee-ya, Mahomes wins in September. Ba-dee-ya, he’s never had a losing game. Combine that with the depletion of the Ravens’ roster and it’s tough to see the Chiefs dropping this game. One of the best-coached teams in the league, the Ravens should keep things interesting early in the game. But once the Chiefs’ offense hits its stride, I think Kansas City runs away with this one. Chiefs 38, Ravens 24

Ties in the standings are broken with prediction points error — how much each prediction misses the actual point spread and the number of points scored by each team.

For the Browns game, contributors Ron Kopp Jr. and Rocky Magaña turned in 33-27 and 31-29 picks that each had just four points of error, which ties them for the lead after one week. John Dixon, Stephen Serda and Ethan Willinger were right behind them — each with predictions that were only six points out of whack.