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Ravens News 3/27: Top rivalries and more

NFL: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

NFL’s top 10 rivalries in 2020: Chiefs vs. Ravens tops the board - Adam Rank

1) Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens

Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are alreadythe next great AFC quarterback rivalry, following in the footsteps of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Some of you might think I’m jumping the gun here, but I’m not. Mahomes and Jackson have captured the last two NFL MVP awards. Mahomes went from winning league MVP in his first season as a starter to winning Super Bowl MVP in his second. That’s the NFL equivalent of putting out Star Wars and following that up with The Empire Strikes Back. (My inner-nerd is REALLY shining through in this piece. Sorry not sorry.) What’s next is for Jackson to step up this season in the playoffs. And really, the only thing missing from this rivalry is an epic playoff showdown. But first, we’ll just have to settle for another regular-season matchup — this time in Baltimore. (Don’t forget: Mahomes and Co. defended Arrowhead Stadium and handed the Ravens one of two regular-season losses in 2019.) Something tells me Chiefs at Ravens is going to get prime-time love from NFL schedule makers.

9) Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Last year was pretty interesting for the Steelers. Saw Le’Veon Bell walk in free agency. Traded Antonio Brown to the Raiders. (Days after nearly trading “Mr. Big Chest” to the Bills.) Lost Ben Roethlisberger for the season in Week 2. And when it looked like they could end up with a top-five draft pick, they traded it to Miami for Minkah Fitzpatrick. Despite all of this, Pittsburgh barely missed the playoffs thanks to its reborn defense. Unfortunately for the Steelers, they also had to watch the hated Ravens secure the top seed in the AFC playoffs. (Granted, Steelers fans obviously took joy in seeing Baltimore go one-and-done in the postseason.) Now, heading into the 2020 campaign, the venom in one of the best rivalries in sports remains high — and I can’t wait. The Steelers look to get back to the top of the division, while the Ravens somehow managed to get even better this offseason by adding Calais Campbell — which kind of doesn’t seem fair — as well as Michael Brockers. This annual home-and-home series will be must-see TV, per usual.

2020 NFL win totals, odds, predictions, best bets: Model picks under 9.5 wins for Seahawks - CBS

2020 NFL win totals (via William Hill)

Baltimore Ravens 11.5

Kansas City Chiefs 11.5

New Orleans Saints 10.5

San Francisco 49ers 10.5

Green Bay Packers 10

Dallas Cowboys 9.5

Philadelphia Eagles 9.5

Seattle Seahawks 9.5

Los Angeles Rams 9

Minnesota Vikings 9

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9

Buffalo Bills 9

New England Patriots 9

Pittsburgh Steelers 9

Chicago Bears 8.5

Cleveland Browns 8.5

Indianapolis Colts 8.5

Tennessee Titans 8.5

2020 DRAFT PROSPECTS THAT SHOULD BE TALKED ABOUT MORE - Jordan Reid

K’VON WALLACE, S, CLEMSON

It’s pretty awkward to say that a prospect from Clemson is underrated, but that’s the case with K’Von Wallace. He fulfilled many roles in the Tigers secondary and was the spark plug on the third level of the defense. He was a team captain and well respected in the locker room. Wallace also led the team in special teams snaps while not suffering any type of drop off when on defense. He’s the perfect type of prospect that you take a chance on.

Wallace is primarily a strong safety. He’s at his best the closer he is to the line. Wallace is an excellent blitz option off of the edge when he’s allowed to play full-speed ahead. In a distinct role similar to that and as a special teams contributor, he will have minimal problems with sticking on a roster.