ESPN
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Bowen |
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| Jeremy Fowler |
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| Dan Graziano |
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| Kimberly A. Martin |
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| Eric Moody |
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| Jason Reid |
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| Lindsey Thiry |
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| Seth Wickersham |
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BALTIMORE SUN
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Childs Walker |
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Ravens 26, Chiefs 24 “Normal rules of quality go out the window with a Thursday night opener. Just look at last season, when the Chiefs dragged their feet through a home loss to the Detroit Lions. The Ravens will be hyped to face their nemesis and seem unlikely to keep their Derrick Henry-powered running game in the holster this time around. Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, will start without a full set of targets. The Ravens will pull the upset in a battle that won’t tell us much about what might happen if these teams meet again in January.” |
| Brian Wacker |
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Chiefs 23, Ravens 17 “Questions on the offensive line, sweeping coaching changes, a first-year starter at inside linebacker and Arrowhead Stadium at night? None of that portends a successful outcome for Baltimore. Derrick Henry will get a lot more than six carries and Lamar Jackson and a defense that is still one of the top units in the league will keep the Ravens in it. But the combination of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, speedy rookie receiver Xavier Worthy and the mastery of Coach Andy Reid and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will be too much to overcome.” |
| C.J. Doon |
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Ravens 24, Chiefs 23 “It always feels like a coin flip when Jackson and Mahomes meet, and this should be no different. In the end, the Ravens are fueled by the sting of last year’s heartbreaking playoff loss and prove that they’re the team to beat in the AFC until an inevitable rematch in January. Put me down for a game-winning field goal by Justin Tucker as a measure of revenge for last year’s beef with Kelce.” |
| Tim Schwartz |
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Chiefs 27, Ravens 24 "So they meet again. All eyes will be on this AFC championship game rematch, and it’s hard to believe Kansas City would lose its season opener two years in a row. The Ravens had plenty of roster (and coaching) turnover and might need a little time to hit their stride. Facing Mahomes and the Chiefs on the night they receive their Super Bowl rings and raise another banner in front of a sold-out Arrowhead Stadium is a tall task for Baltimore. Anytime these two teams square off, one should expect a close game. It will be no different tonight, but I’ll take the Chiefs by a hair.” |
| Bennett Conlin |
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Ravens 24, Chiefs 20 “Fair or not, Lamar Jackson receives plenty of criticism for his 2-4 postseason record. In the regular season, however, Jackson’s 58-19 mark as a starter puts his winning percentage (75.3%) on par with Mahomes’ (77.1%) in non-playoff games. Jackson is historically great as a regular-season underdog, going 12-1-1 against the spread in his career, according to ESPN’s Stats & Information. Defending Super Bowl champions are 0-3 against the spread in Week 1 over the past three years, with two outright losses. While the Chiefs might still three-peat, give me Kansas City opening with a loss for the second consecutive season.” |
THE BALTIMORE BANNER
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Jonas Shaffer |
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Chiefs 24, Ravens 17 "This could be a night of rude introductions: Congratulations, Zach Orr. For your first regular-season game as Ravens defensive coordinator, you have to stop Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. And congratulations, Andrew Vorhees, Daniel Faalele and maybe Roger Rosengarten. For your first career start — either in the NFL or, in Faalele’s case, at a new position — you have to stop Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Steve Spagnuolo’s migraine-inducing pressure packages.” |
| Giana Han |
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Chiefs 23, Ravens 20 “For the most part, it felt like the Ravens beat themselves in the AFC championship. They were the better team heading into the game and simply decided not to run the ball. Their offense’s performance offset a lights-out defensive half. But this is not the same Ravens team. There is still a lot of talent across the board, but the offensive line is worrying. There’s also an inexperienced play-caller on the defensive side in new coordinator Zach Orr. And they’re going against a great coach in Andy Reid. He’s had months to anticipate how the Ravens will adjust.” |
| Kyle Goon |
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Chiefs 23, Ravens 16 “The Ravens are 1-4 against Kansas City in the Patrick Mahomes era. That doesn’t reflect a talent disparity as much as a mental edge, in my opinion. Even in Week 1, the Ravens have much more at stake than the defending champs. If they lose, they’re still living in the Chiefs’ shadow all year long. If they win, they’ll have to prove they can do it again in the playoffs. Home-field advantage, early struggles on the offensive line and Mahomes taking on a first-time defensive play-caller feel like significant factors working against Baltimore. I’m not saying they can’t beat Kansas City down the road, but it’s hard for me to pick the Ravens on Thursday night.” |
| Paul Mancano |
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Chiefs 27, Ravens 20 “The burden of having future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry is the courage it requires to be patient with him. In his eight NFL seasons, Henry has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in the first quarter, then 5.0 the rest of the way. Unlike his counterparts at the position, Henry gets better the more he’s used. The Chiefs, of course, will be ready for Henry. If the Ravens struggle to gain traction on the ground and fall in an early hole, will offensive coordinator Todd Monken have the fortitude to keep pounding the rock? Or will he fall into the same trap he did in January and abandon the ground game?” |
| Chris Korman |
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Chiefs 25, Ravens 24 "I do think the Ravens will keep it close. They know full well what is at stake here by opening the year against the team that ended their season prematurely last year. The symbolism is impossible to miss, and even though this is the first in a long string of games that will bring many challenges, it’s clearly going to set the tone for the season. So I see it as a bit more of a coin toss that they’ll eventually lose.” |
| Brandon Weigel |
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Chiefs 23, Ravens 13 “I believe in the theory behind the offensive line rebuild. When you’re in a salary cap league and the quarterback has a cap hit of $32.4 million, there’s only so much you can spend, especially when veterans such as tight end Mark Andrews, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, safety Marcus Williams and cornerback Marlon Humphrey are also making north of $15 million…. But is the line going to be ready for prime time against one of the league’s top defenses? Don’t count on it.” |
NFL NETWORK
| Pundit | Projected Winner | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Rank |
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Ravens 28, Chiefs 26 |
| Colleen Wolfe |
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Chiefs 30, Ravens 27 |
| Marcas Grant |
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Ravens 23, Chiefs 21 |
| Maurice Jones-Drew |
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Chiefs 22, Ravens 20 |
| Daniel Jeremiah |
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Chiefs 28, Ravens 27 |
| Nick Shook |
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Chiefs 27, Ravens 24 |
| Kevin Patra |
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Chiefs 20, Ravens 16 |
| Bucky Brooks |
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Chiefs 26, Ravens 24 |
| Grant Gordon |
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Chiefs 17, Ravens 10 |
| Eric Edholm |
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Chiefs 27, Ravens 21 |
SPORTING NEWS
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Vinnie Iyer |
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Chiefs 24, Ravens 20 “The Chiefs remember losing their home opener last season ahead of their successful Super Bowl title defense. They stumbled with some key personnel absences vs. the Lions in Week 1 2023, but they look stronger than the team that repeated, with a third consecutive ring well in sight. The Chiefs' offense with two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes has a little more pop than the Ravens' offense with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, leading to a little more scoring in the September rematch of the January AFC championship game.” |
CBS SPORTS
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Pete Prisco |
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Chiefs 24, Ravens 18 “This rematch of the AFC Championship game will feature two of the best in the NFL. Lamar Jackson is playing behind a rebuilt offensive line, which could be a problem early in the season against a team that loves to blitz. The Chiefs will be better this year on offense than a year ago, which will show up here. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs defense both get off to good starts. Chiefs take it.” |
| Will Brinson |
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| Jared Dubin |
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| Ryan Wilson |
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| John Breech |
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Ravens 23, Chiefs 20 “I hate picking against the Chiefs, because they almost always make me look stupid whenever I do it, but I'm going to do it here. The Ravens are going to be out for revenge, and if there's one instance where the Chiefs are actually beatable, it's in this exact situation: The Chiefs are just 5-5 in home prime-time games against non-divisional opponents since Mahomes' first full-year as a starter in 2018.” |
| Tyler Sullivan |
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| Dave Richard |
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| Jamey Eisenberg |
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SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
| PUNDIT | PROJECTED WINNER | COMMENTARY |
|---|---|---|
| Albert Breer |
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| Connor Orr |
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| Mitch Goldich |
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| Matt Verderame |
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| Gilberto Manzano |
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| Jennifer Piacenti |
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| Peter Dewey |
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| Iain MacMillan |
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