KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens kick off the 2024 NFL season at Arrowhead Stadium -- Thursday, Sept. 5 -- on NBC and Peacock. Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. Eastern with Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth on the call.
Several streaming services will broadcast the game live, and you can watch on Fubo (free trial and $30 off your first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling (select markets, promotional offers) and Peacock.
The game is a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game, won by the eventual Super Bowl champions Chiefs. The contest is a showcase for a pair of two-time MVP quarterbacks: Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (2018, 2022) and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (2019, 2023).
But Jackson isn’t worried about being compared to Mahomes, or any quarterback for that matter.
“I don’t have a relationship with him. I don’t think I have a relationship with any quarterback in the league,” Jackson told The Athletic. “I don’t take anything from him. I just play my game, but he’s a great quarterback. I’m going to say that.”
His goal for this year has been the same since he was drafted in 2018 when he promised it to Charm City, a championship.
“I haven’t gotten a Super Bowl yet. That’s the only thing that bothers me,” Jackson said. “I don’t care what (naysayers) say because they still talk about Michael Jordan, they still talk about LeBron (James). They still talk about Steph Curry. Those guys got championships. I don’t have one yet. So it’s like, ‘All right, cool, you’re going to talk about me.’ I need to get a championship, a few championships. But I know they’re still going to talk about me. I have to live with it.”
To win the Lombardi Trophy, the Ravens will have to go through the two-time reigning champs, who are in pursuit of the first three-peat in NFL history. Baltimore has the opportunity to avenge their AFC championship loss in the NFL opener with a new offense that has the Kansas City defense gearing up for everything and the kitchen sink.
“The expectation is they’re going to come in and try to run it, which we get,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo told the Athletic. “This team gets noted as a running team, but they can do everything. They have really good wideouts, the quarterback can extend the down and he’s accurate.”
The Chiefs are juggling a cornerback situation with Nazeeh Johnson, who missed all of last season recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, is expected to play in his first game since Super Bowl LVII in February 2023 and compete for reps against the explosive and physical Ravens offense with Trent McDuffie.
But the powerful offense led by Mahomes and Travis Kelce hope to keep up with the Ravens’ offense, especially after the Chiefs released Kadarius Toney this past week, who was widely criticized for his numerous dropped passes last season. But Kansas City is excited for the growth of Rashee Rice, who is entering just his second season in the NFL.
“To think where he was at this time last year to where he’s at now, even watching a couple of those (preseason) plays (against the Lions), he caught a 6-yard stick route and before the ball was even in the air he was already turning and starting to run upfield because he felt the space (against the zone coverage) and Pat was throwing him upfield,” Justin Watson, a seven-year veteran receiver with the Chiefs, said of Rice to The Athletic. “You see a lot of those same things with (Mahomes) and Travis. I think Rashee is in an awesome place. It’s been cool to see. I think he’s going to be a great leader for our (receivers) room this year.”
Along with Rice, rookie Xavier Worthy hopes to help bring the deep ball back to Kansas City with his blazing speed that broke the 40-time combine record in just 4.21 seconds.
“Once you hit him over the top with that speed, it helps open up the entire field,” Mahomes said of Worthy earlier this month to The Athletic. “It’s going to help everyone in the entire offense having him, having (Brown), having (receiver) Rashee (Rice) being able to break loose. I think it will be big for us this year.”
Be sure to check our complete rundown of NFL Week 1 with schedule, predictions, previews and TV game info.
Ravens - Chiefs Matchup Preview
The Chiefs enter the season looking to become the first team in NFL history to three-peat. Not content with running it back with the same lineup -- as good as Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce are -- the team added wide receiver Marquise Brown in the offseason. But “Hollywood” Brown is listed as doubtful with a shoulder injury.
The Ravens, meanwhile, find themselves in a bit of transition after ending their season with a home loss to the Chiefs in the AFC title game. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is now the head coach of the Seahawks, and the team lost a number of key players on that side of the ball. The offense, however, added four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry to their rushing attack, which was ranked sixth in the league last season.
The Ravens haven’t won at Arrowhead since 2012 and have lost five out of their last six against the Chiefs.
Ravens - Chiefs Last Game Recap
Both the Ravens (13-4) and Chiefs (11-6) made deep runs in the postseason last season with Kansas City winning their third Super Bowl in five years.
Baltimore Ravens: Lost to the Chiefs, 17-10, in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 28
Kansas City Chiefs: Defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22 in overtime, in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11
Ravens - Chiefs Injuries of Note
The Chiefs could be without two key players on offense.
Kansas City Chiefs: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (out), WR Marquise Brown (doubtful), DE BJ Thompson (out), DE Charles Omenihu (out)
Baltimore Ravens: RB Rasheen Ali (questionable), LB Adisa Isaac (questionable)
Ravens - Chiefs Players to Watch
Both teams are full of stars.
Baltimore Ravens: QB Lamar Jackson, RB Derrick Henry, WR Zay Flowers, DT Nnamdi Madubuike
Kansas City Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, WR Xavier Worthy, RB Isiah Pacheco, DT Chris Jones
How to Watch Ravens - Chiefs
- Who: Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024
- Time: 8:20 p.m. Eastern
- Where: Arrowhead Stadium | Kansas City, Missouri
- Channel: NBC, Peacock
- Best Streaming Options: Fubo (free trial and $30 off your first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling (select markets, promotional offers) and Peacock.
Channel finder if you have cable
You can access the channel by using the channel finders online: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.
About FuboTV
Fubo, which offers a free trial and $30 off your first month, offers three main packages: Pro costs $79.99/month; Elite is $89.99; Premier is priced at $99.99. Cancel before the free trial ends to avoid being charged. Fubo includes access to more than 185 sports, entertainment and news channels. You can record games, TV shows, movies and more.
About DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream, which also gives customers a free trial, offers four packages if you continue with the service after your trial ends: Entertainment for $69.99; Choice for $84.99; Ultimate for $109.99; and premier for $159.99. Choice offers the most channels for sports enthusiasts.
About Sling
Sling, which features promotional offers for new customers, has a Blue package for $20 for your first month ($40 after that) and an Orange package for the same price and deal. Get both the Blue and Orange packages for $27.50 for your first month ($55 after that).
About Peacock
Peacock offers multiple sports coverage on select games, including the NFL, Big Ten football, Premier League soccer, PGA Tour and more. Catch all the action for $7.99 per month or $79.99 annually. This service also features movies and hit television shows, as well as current NBC programming.
For team hats, shirts and more gear: Visit Fanatics, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lids, Champs Sports and New Era.
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