OTL: Ravens & Chiefs to Open 2024 NFL Regular Season

First, I hope all the Moms of the Ravens Flock had a wonderful Mother’s Day. One thing we can probably all agree on is that family is the number one thing in our lives and it doesn’t happen without Mom. Happy Mother’s Day.

We got some news this morning, as it was revealed that the NFL Thursday Night Kickoff will feature our Ravens heading to Kansas City for an AFC Championship Game rematch.

Lamar vs. Mahomes to kick off the 2024 season. pic.twitter.com/IY8EaV0M6V

— NFL (@NFL) May 13, 2024

We definitely knew this was a possibility. Last week,  Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports ranked the eight possible opponents for KC in the opening kickoff game. In his top three matchups, he unsurprisingly had the Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Baltimore Ravens. Here’s what he said about the Ravens matchup:

The most fascinating Week 1 matchup for the Chiefs would undoubtedly be the Ravens — the team the Chiefs upset in the AFC championship game. Lamar Jackson won MVP this season, but that award couldn’t have felt as good to receive considering that his offense fell flat against the Chiefs defense, which held the Ravens to a season-low 81 rushing yards and the lowest time of possession (22:30) in Jackson’s career.

I feel like this will be less satisfying than Dujani thinks. The Ravens want revenge on the Chiefs, but beating them in September won’t take any pain away from the AFC Championship loss. The Chiefs vs. Texans would be the one matchup with no baggage from past seasons. The upstart Texans could have proved something just like the Detroit Lions did to start the season last year.

Maybe the wound is too fresh… maybe I have a point. Now that we know what we’re getting, what do you think?

The rest of the NFL Schedule is going to be revealed this week. Reports indicate that Netflix may get the rights to a Christmas doubleheader. The NFL had a playoff game on Peacock last season and NFL fans have already gotten used to Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video. I’m actually rooting for the merging of sports with streaming services. Sports are one of the few reasons I still have cable. The quicker these services divvy up the rights to the NFL (and other sports) the quicker I can be done with Xfinity. It’ll probably be just as expensive as having cable, but hey, one problem at a time.

It’s unlikely the Ravens would play on the holiday two years in a row, but Bill Williamson thinks one matchup would be quite a merry idea: Ravens vs. Chargers. This is Williamson’s take on the idea:

This is our most selfish Christmas Day desire. The first rematch of brothers John and Jim Harbaugh since Super Bowl XLVII 12 years ago is surely destined for a featured spot in the schedule. Why not let the Harbaugh family celebrate with the rest of us on Christmas Day? If it’s happens, it will be the biggest gift under the tree. And with injuries unlikely to keep the Harbaughs out of the game, it makes sense as a late-season matchup.

I have to admit, that would be a fun matchup. Christmas worked out well for Baltimore last year, with a thrilling win over the 49ers. We did the Harbaugh Holiday thing already once, back in 2011 on Thanksgiving. That worked out well for the Ravens. Another Harbaugh Bowl is happening one way or another, so we might as well make it festive, right?

On top of Sunday being Mother’s Day, it was Steve Smith Sr.’s birthday. Smith Sr. was one of the best receivers in franchise history. After a long career with the Carolina Panthers, he was with the Ravens from 2014-2016.

Happy Birthday to this legend pic.twitter.com/DVDbXTSbnn

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 12, 2024

Speaking of receivers, Devontez Walker is a rookie with a lot of potential. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley asks if Walker could be the big play threat for the Ravens’ offense:

Walker, the 19th wide receiver taken in this year’s draft, has the potential to be Jackson’s No. 1 deep downfield target. After making his debut at North Carolina on Oct. 14 because of an eligibility issue, he ranked second in the ACC with 656 receiving yards and led the conference with seven touchdown catches.

Walker’s strengths are his size (6-feet-1, 191 pounds), speed and ability to out-leap defenders. In eight games last season, he totaled nine receptions on passes thrown at least 20 yards in the air.

I like this line of thinking that Hensley is on. The Ravens tend to get their big plays from the tight end position with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. That usually feeds the intermediate passes. Rashod Bateman is more of a possession receiver than a burn-you-down-the-field type of player.  Walker could be the deep ball receiver the Ravens haven’t had. The Ravens waited on the receiver position in the draft, because it wasn’t a desperate need. That’s a nice change of pace, yet you can see why the Ravens drafted Walker. If he works out in Baltimore it will be because he filled an important and specific service for the offense.

Have a great week, Flock!

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