How to Beat the Kansas City Chiefs
Sigh, ... this is no different for us, them and probably any team in the league. The way to win, other than just scoring more points than the other team, will be to shut down their offense with solid defense, creating turnovers and short fields to work with, then the offense can put the points on the board to win the game. You play to win the game! (Sorry, had to.)
So there it is - NOT! Unfortunately, it just doesn't work that way and teams have to strategize based on the individual opponents' strengths and weaknesses to either neutralize or attack those areas of concern.
The Chiefs present a few of those concerns but to most of the Baltimore Ravens fanbase, the key to victory Sunday will not be on our team's great defense, but on the shoulders of second year QB Joe Flacco instead.
More on "How to Beat the Kansas City Chiefs" after the "Jump."
Without this writer nor The Beatdown's fans sounding overconfident, the experts have listed this game in betting terms as a "walkover," meaning that a 13 point favorite is basically expected to "walk-over" the opponent. What do the setters of the betting lines along with most Ravens fans see to make them think the Chiefs will not put up more of a game than that?Remember, this is the NFL and these guys are pros and any team can win in this league at any time. Remember how the Miami Dolphins went into New England early last year and trounced the Patriots behind the initial unveiling of the "Wildcat" formation? The Chiefs feel they have a lot to prove to themselves and their fans after the dismal 2-14 season in 2008, marred by injuries in key positions. A new GM, coach and QB could go a long way in turning this once-proud franchise around real quick, not to mention an opening day victory on the road against a heavy favorite.
So how do the Ravens attack this team on both sides of the ball and come away with a win Sunday? Simply put, they need to play the solid, suffocating defense that they are so well known for, create turnovers and keep the Chiefs away from the big play and quick scoring chances. However, that alone will not win the game and with the offense being unleashed for the second year QB out of Delaware, they expect to feature their new and improved passing game.
Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron played his pre-season strategies in excellent fashion. He knew he had a solid running game, with their three-headed monster led by recently announced starter, Ray Rice, followed by Willis McGahee and in front of them, the huge LeRon McClain now at fullback. Since their success was a known entity, he focused on the passing attack. Now there's no way that he will throw the ball that much more than he ran in pre-season, but the additional passing reps that the entire team, much less Flacco received will benefit their regular season preparedness.
While the Ravens do not have that big name, defense-changing wide receiver, they do have the NFL's 4th leading reception guy over the past two years in the solid Derrick Mason. Whoever else is on the receiving end of Flacco's passes will be happy campers as he is out to prove his Reebok Fantasy Files video was not infused with special effects. If Flacco can continue the progression he's made since being thrust into the starting role late in pre-season a year ago, the team should be able to move the ball on the Chiefs.
Once the Ravens get a lead, expect a heavy dose of the running attack in the second half, but with a change of pace. While the Chiefs will see a lot of the elusive Rice in the first half or so, as the game becomes a time of possession contest, Baltimore will turn to their big bodies to pound the rock and demoralize the Kansas City defense with the heavy package of the 230 pound McGahee and 250 pound McClain.
Stopping the opponents running attack will continue to be the rep of the Ravens defense and despite a fitter Larry Johnson, it should continue this trend. The Chiefs' offensive line has had trouble protecting their QB's, so whether it be Matt Cassel, Tyler Thigpen or Brodie Croyle, it won't matter to Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, T-Sizzle and company. Pressure will come early, often and from everywhere and with it will come sacks, fumbles and interceptions. The Ravens led the NFL in picks last year and should continue this trend on Sunday as once the Chiefs fall behind, they will have to air it out which falls right into the Ravens hands and strength.
While this breakdown is relatively elementary in detail, it is classic in its history. The Baltimore Ravens have the third best home record over the past ten years in the league and although the Chiefs are a perfect 3-0 at M&T Bank Stadium, there is a slim chance that they can overcome these obstacles, play a great game while expecting the Ravens to do the opposite. The Ravens also have historically averaged over ten more points a game at home than on the road and no team scored more than 13 points in our house last season. Too many stars must be in alignment for this to happen. If what I am writing and predicting happens, then the betting line might even be safe for the Ravens' fans to bet the house on this Sunday!
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49 comments
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Comments
LJ Goes for 100 on the Ravens again
Larry Johnson runs all over the D
Joe Flacco throws 3 picks
Brian Waters pancakes Ray Lewis and puts him on his butt
Chiefs 21-3
by bonesjackson on Sep 10, 2009 10:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
haha
I think all those could happen and KC would still lose. And I’m from kansas city!
by davidhusker on Sep 10, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, Madden is a fun game to play. You can always make unrealistics outcomes happen at your own fingertips! That’s what your explaining, right? Your game of Madden last night/this morning?
by bigmac1124 on Sep 10, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh and BTW, this is way off topic for this thread, and I apologize, but did anyone by chance see Sportsnite last night when T-Suggs was all like, “We’re comfortable around each other. We can fart in front of the coach now.” Just had to throw that out there because I’ve never seen an athlete say something that random—even after all those Best Damn Sports Show Period Top 50 shows. Bottom line: it was funny as hell.
by bigmac1124 on Sep 10, 2009 10:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
hhaahaha that's hilarious.
"I know where you're at, man. You had it all, and now it's gone. It's torn a hole in your soul bigger than my Escalade. So you turned to the drugs, the alcohol. Pornography, free-basing with OJ, human trafficking, dog fights slash orgies... darkness."
-- Craig Robinson as Reg Mackworthy in Season 1, Episode 5 of Eastbound & Down
by jackmca on Sep 11, 2009 12:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How to beat the Chiefs
Score more points than they do.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Sep 10, 2009 11:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Just like I said, right?
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
reminds me of how a couple of years ago watching a ravens game...
Steve Trasker said the raven’s offense should be (and I quote directly) “run the ball, pass the ball, move the chains”.
by ello on Sep 10, 2009 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sounds like a Maddenism.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 10, 2009 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tasker
was a great Special Teams guy and I believe part of the trade to Oakland that brought the draft pick that ended up being Michael Vick to Atlanta through that trade.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 11, 2009 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
im not sure if we can fart in front of Bruce Raffle yet
by raven on Sep 10, 2009 11:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Not in front of Raffle
but Raffel, yes and close the car windows to boot!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 11:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That red just doesn’t look good in M&T…bad memories.
by raven on Sep 10, 2009 11:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
how are the Chiefs DBs on a scale of 1-10?
by raven on Sep 10, 2009 11:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Pretty good
I’d say a 7 or so, whatever that means.
by Joel Thorman on Sep 10, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wanted the Ravens to draft Brandon Flowers
out of Va Tech. If he was taller he might have gone first round but we passed over him and the Chiefs grabbed him.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
VT produces some good cb's
I’m thinking more of Flowers and Macho Harris than DeAngelo Hall and Jimmy Williams
by ello on Sep 10, 2009 8:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Blitz the right side of the Chiefs o-line....
The right side of the o-line is pretty pathetic, as a Chiefs fan I fully expect The Ravens to exploit that fact.
by chicks_love_chiefs on Sep 10, 2009 12:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
probably better than where we stand at this point. we will give you your passes but, to our DB’s credit, we are quick to the ball. i think bigger receivers will out-muscle us a bit. we might have to take gambles. landry will be our enforcer out there. he’s a big, ripped physical guy who missed most of last year with a neck injury. we really needed him against the Steelers and Giants. he’s healthy and laying wood to guys so i expect Pro-Bowl things from him. he has that kind of talent.
by raven on Sep 10, 2009 12:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The DBs
I think are pretty damn good. I’ve yet to watch a TON of preseason footage, but the Brandon’s (Carr/Flowers) are young but still pretty solid. If the front seven for the Chiefs can’t get pressure, it won’t matter and Mason, Heap, L.J. Smith and whoever you guys have opposite will get open. We’re talking a new system, so you never know, despite the preseason what kind of results that’s going to yield. I do expect Ray Rice to have a healthy amount of yardage, and I think Flacco is a real good quarterback you guys have.
by Bryan Everson (The Royalty of Roto) on Sep 10, 2009 12:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Fair Assessment
Thanks!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
better in threes?
d-line: suggs, ngata, gregg
lb’s: lewis, gooden, mcclain
backs: reed, landry, foxworth (?)
o-line: berk, oher, gaither
rb’s-rice, mcgahee, mcclaine
qb’s-flacco, troy smith, beck
wr’s- mason, uhhhhh
te’s- heap? uhhhhh
hmmmm, didn’t we improve here. NOPE!
by raven on Sep 10, 2009 12:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Disagree
we improved in pretty much every other category by being healthy. WR’s improved with K-Wash already.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 12:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
your right. i do like K-Wash so far. just preparing myself for the emotional let down that I hope doesn’t materialize.
not a vast improvement but in the right direction I guess.
d-williams MUST stay healthy. Clayton needs to change his trend of declining receptions (not totally his fault).
d-williams exemplified raven receiving problems (outside of Mason) in the final pre-season game when he barely caught a wide open chest high pass and then fell to his knees with no defenders within 10 yards. so much for YAC. we are far from smooth out there and pin the hopes of succes on a 1/2 retired wizard.
by raven on Sep 10, 2009 1:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Do we root for Pitt or Tenn? Do we want the division to show well on natonal tv or root for a Pitt. loss in the standings? Always a tough one but I can’t bare another Steelers homecoming and Terble Towl love fest. Although Cope was the real deal. I won’t be rooting either way really. Fisher’s a knuckle head and I’d bet against him in any big game and the Steelers need to prove that their SB run wasn’t the result of Ben’s luckiest year where every spin and throw landed in black and gold arms.
by raven on Sep 10, 2009 1:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Have to be Tenn
Since we want to win the division above all else.
by DT711 on Sep 10, 2009 2:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’ll definitely be rooting for Tennessee tonight.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 10, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Go Titans
but doubt they can pull it off. No team has won at the previous year’s SB Champ since Miami did it to Denver in the 1999 opener.
Doesn’t bode well for Titans.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 6:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It just means the challenger is due for a win.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 10, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Since everyone thinks that the Ravens are just gang members and thugs, here is a new name for this game.
Chiefs vs Thiefs.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning.
by Mr MaLoR on Sep 10, 2009 3:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
How to beat the Chiefs is easy...
Just show u to the game
It may be now..it may be later...later aint gonna be no use! Am I right Al? We got alot of angry guys in their black panthers,muslims, young lords, besides you average anti-socials. We gotta go in, am I right, clean their clocks!
by Peter Chung on Sep 10, 2009 3:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Shouldnt the post be called “how to lose to the Chiefs” because that would be the harder outcome. Winning basically involves sending 11 men onto the field.
by archon095 on Sep 10, 2009 4:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Tell that to Matt Millen.
ba-dum-ching
by math_geek on Sep 10, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not fair to the Chiefs
and if our players plan on just showing up and expecting KC to roll over, we will be leaving the stadium Sunday very upset!
That said, I certainly don’t expect Harbaugh to allow his team that attitude.
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I want to say thank you to you Bruce and Baltimore Beatdown for the fun this week.
I imagine that Oakland will not be as hospitable or for that matter readable next week. Thanks again :)
Let's Kick some ASS in 09 or Die trying
by Steve_Chiefs on Sep 10, 2009 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
We're at SD next week, but
Cleveland comes here after that and they won’t be happy campers by then (0-3)!
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 10, 2009 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Like Cleveland is ever a happy camper. They can’t spell “dog,” they don’t know who their starting QB is, and they haven’t won a playoff game in the past ten years. Sounds like a recipe for the worst record in the NFL to me.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 11, 2009 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Crap.... we get Rich Gannon announcing
more whiny Crap about how we beat the living crap out of him in 2000
by math_geek on Sep 10, 2009 5:35 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So
Beatdown hasn’t let me log in from my computer for 2 1/2 days now. I’m starting to think it’s not going to let me. So once my iPhone clears its memory, I’ll be a goner. Any ideas for a new name?
Scott Hines
by shines on Sep 11, 2009 12:11 AM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
Mr MaLoR HaTeS GolF
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
by Ampallang on Sep 11, 2009 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
After some more analysis..
As far as the receiver/secondary match-up, I think Flowers and Clayton is a wash. It looks like Clayton has been banged up, and Flowers will keep him quiet for the most part.
The other side of the field is a different story. Carr has struggled in his man-to-man coverage, and I anticipate he’s going to struggle in his assignment on Derrick Mason. I’d look for Mason to dink and dunk his way, as usual, to around 80-90 yards.
by Bryan Everson (The Royalty of Roto) on Sep 11, 2009 2:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
mahor gaffe by Cassel
he mispronounced Ngata’s name. He will need to be educated.
"I know where you're at, man. You had it all, and now it's gone. It's torn a hole in your soul bigger than my Escalade. So you turned to the drugs, the alcohol. Pornography, free-basing with OJ, human trafficking, dog fights slash orgies... darkness."
-- Craig Robinson as Reg Mackworthy in Season 1, Episode 5 of Eastbound & Down
by jackmca on Sep 11, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So as Ngata is lying on him,....
…will he look down at Cassel and ask him, “What is my name again?”
aka 'Rexx'
by Bruce Raffel on Sep 11, 2009 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs












