The 2021 season has been a disaster for the Baltimore Ravens so far and life doesn’t get any easier as they get set to welcome the reigning AFC champions Kansas City to M&T Bank Stadium.
The Ravens have lost the last four meetings with the Chiefs and Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson described Kansas City as his team’s ‘kryptonite’ after a 34-20 defeat last year. Can the Ravens find a way to combat the team that gives them the biggest problems or will it be just another day at the office for Patrick Mahomes and co?
That is one of 14 Week 2 games taking place on Sunday as we examine the pick of the late kick offs.
Super September for Mahomes
Kansas City exorcised their Super Bowl demons in Week 1 as they produced an excellent come-from-behind victory against Cleveland. The Chiefs were far from their best and yet still got the win against a highly thought of Browns side.
That victory extends quarterback Mahomes’ remarkable September record to 11-0, the 2018 MVP throwing 35 touchdowns and zero interceptions during that run. Mahomes looked pretty comfortable for the most part behind his revamped offensive line against Cleveland as he got all the usual suspects involved, setting up Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill for touchdowns.
They head to Baltimore as 3.5-point favourites at 10/11 and that looks very playable, despite lingering doubts over Kansas City’s defence. They found stopping the run tough against Cleveland but a fit-again Tyrann Mathieu should help them nullify Baltimore’s ground game.
The Ravens rushing attack was perhaps the only positive from their Week 1 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Jackson found himself under constant harrassment behind a porous offensive line, while the defence struggled to pressurise Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
Today's injury report and game status for Sunday vs. the Chiefs. pic.twitter.com/v3W0XWJBLl
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 17, 2021
Just to rub salt into the wounds, Baltimore lost starting guard Tyre Phillips to a season-ending injury, the 13th Raven to go on IR this year. Their biggest concern is at cornerback, where they are without Marcus Peters. A young secondary could get torched by Mahomes, who has thrown for over 340 yards in all three starts against the Ravens.
The Chiefs should win this one, while an interesting side bet could be the 10/11 on offer for Mahomes’ passing yards total and Jackson’s rushing yards combined to tally over 365.5 yards.
Cowboys Love a Shootout
Dallas earned plenty of praise for their aggressive performance in a losing effort to champions Tampa Bay in Week 1 and could put on another show when they visit the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers have won the last six meetings with Dallas and got their 2021 season off to a winning start at Washington. Quarterback Justin Herbert was excellent in that game, going 13-of-16 on third down throws as the Bolts edged to a 20-16 win.
They enter Week 2 as 3.5-point favourites to beat Dallas but the value in this one might lie elsewhere. The Cowboys are 50/57 to score over 26.5 points in this game and that looks like a solid choice.
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#DALvsLAC | @SWBCServices
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 17, 2021
In Dak Prescott’s last five starts at quarterback, Dallas have put up at least 30 points and they should seriously test a Chargers defence we know little about after they got an easy ride from Washington.
Titans Cut Down to Size
Tennessee were given a wake-up call in Week 1 as they were throttled 38-13 by the Arizona Cardinals at home. Having averaged nearly 30 points per game last season, 13 points was a pitiful return for a Titans team that landed generational wide receiver Julio Jones this summer.
There are clearly some teething problems in Tennessee and new offensive coordinator Todd Downing might need some time to get the best out of his arsenal. That looks unlikely to happen soon though and they face another tough task this week at Seattle.
The Seahawks produced a very strong showing on defence to keep the Indianapolis Colts at bay in Week 1, limiting them to 113 rushing yards. Seattle have put together a good defensive front, while the secondary looks strong under Jamal Adams’ watch.
That defence is part of the reason why eight of the last ten Seattle matches have gone under the points total and that looks the way to play this match up with the line set at 54 total points. The under is 10/11 and could easily cash if Seattle also employs the relatively conservative gameplan we saw against the Colts.
*All odds correct at time of writing.
