Chiefs vs. Ravens: 5 Bold predictions for Week 3 Monday Night Football

Bold predictions as the Chiefs and Ravens meet on Monday Night Football in Week 3.

Without question, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, which stands to reason as they’re the last two NFL MVP winners. So it also figures that the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs are two of the league’s best and are both favorites to win Super Bowl LV. But in Week 3, they’ll meet with lower stakes on Monday Night Football.

These two teams are incredibly talented with explosive offenses. Fans are expecting an offensive shootout between the two teams. At the same time, though, we’ve seen these defenses — Baltimore’s in particular — shine quite brightly. So how the matchup plays out will be fascinating to see which club has an early leg up in the AFC.

With the stakes high, let’s make five bold predictions for Chiefs vs. Ravens on Monday Night Football in Week 3.

5. Ravens hold Edwards-Helaire under 60 total yards

The debut for Chiefs rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire was nothing short of spectacular, rushing 25 times for 138 yards and a touchdown to help dominate against the Texans. His game was a bit different in Week 2, though, as LA held the youngster to just 38 yards on 10 carries but allowed 32 receiving yards.

Baltimore, however, is the best defense that Kansas City will have seen in the young season, though. The upgraded linebacker corps, led by another rookie in Patrick Queen, and the stout defensive line have been impressive through two games. On Monday night, they’ll bottle up CEH and keep him to the worst game of his brief career to this point.

4. Mahomes throws for 3 TDs but with under 250 yards and a pick

With Edwards-Helaire starting out hot in the season-opener, Mahomes wasn’t necessarily a world-beater for the Chiefs, throwing for only 211 yards, though he did toss three touchdowns. He was more productive last week but in a tough overtime contest as he threw for 302 yards and two scores.

This isn’t an indictment on the quarterback or the team as a whole, but Kansas City’s offense hasn’t been at top gear to start the year, Mahomes included. And though he’s gone two games without an interception, that will change. He’ll make some noise with three scores but his yardage total will be underwhelming and he’ll throw his first pick of the season.

3. Hollywood bests Hill in matchup of Chiefs, Ravens speedsters

Tyreek Hill of the Chiefs and Marquise Brown of the Ravens are two of the fastest wide receivers in the league right now. Of course, the former has accomplished more in his career as this is just Brown’s second year in the league. But through two games, the two pass-catchers are on the same relative pace with 10 receptions apiece as Hill has 145 yards and two scores while Brown has 143 yards to his credit.

But when you look at the matchup between Kansas City and Baltimore, the former is lacking in the secondary while it’s one of the strengths for the latter team. Moreover, Hollywood Brown has been getting utilized much more heavily than he was last season. The end result will be a monster game for Brown as he tops the 100-yard mark and, just as critically, bests Hill in a head-to-head comparison.

2. Lamar throws for 2 TDs, rushes for 2 more and tops 450 total yards

Mostly because he hasn’t needed to be, the reigning NFL MVP hasn’t been out of this world through the first two games. He’s clearly improved as a passer but has only thrown 49 times for 479 yards and four touchdowns and has 23 carries for only 99 yards and no scores. On Monday night, though, the Ravens might need that from Jackson to possibly keep the pace.

The truth of the matter, though, is that the quarterback is more than capable. His stats aren’t up to par with last season simply because Baltimore hasn’t asked him to do that. They will in Week 3 and he’ll run (and throw) all over the Chiefs for a monstrous outing worthy of some hardware.

1. Ravens dominate with two-touchdown win over Chiefs

This one won’t be close. Based on what we’ve seen over the first two weeks, the Ravens are playing substantially better than the Chiefs right now. And that will be on full display in Baltimore for primetime.

Baltimore has the better offense (right now) and the better defense overall. This isn’t necessarily to say that, should these two powerhouses meet in the playoffs, the result would be the same in January. But in this matchup on Monday Night Football in Week 3, Jackson and his cohorts will end up with a resounding victory.