On Thursday, Kansas City Chiefs face the Baltimore RavensWe welcome Kyle Phoenix from Baltimore brawl — our sister site SB Nation about the Baltimore Ravens — for Five questions to the enemy.

1) Obviously the story around this game writes itself and it will be a playoff rematch almost immediately. To what extent does Baltimore view this matchup as a rivalry considering how much is at stake?

When I talk to Ravens players this week, they all reject the idea of ​​a rematch. However, I can’t imagine it’s not at the forefront of those who were on the field in January, and I wrote about it earlier in the week. Some said it’s there, but it’s still a new season, their records are all zero-zero, and it’s about winning that first game and getting off to a 1-0 start while their opponent is the Chiefs.

It’s hard to call it a rivalry from a record perspective. The Ravens have won just one of their five games in the Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes era. But it’s definitely a rivalry between two of the best players in the AFC. The Ravens are a step below the Chiefs in most rankings and now they’re looking to prove they can keep up with Kansas City.

2) Chris Jones recently called Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry a “fearsome dynamic duo.” However, Baltimore’s running backs have already combined for 1,696 yards on the ground in 2023. What are they hoping Henry adds that wasn’t there before?

The Ravens have been successful in the running game, in part because of the threat Jackson poses. The defense has to look out for him, and that gives the Ravens a split-second advantage because the defense can’t rush the running backs. They hope to capitalize on that moment of indecision in the form of arguably the best running back of this generation. The combination of Henry and Jackson gives the Ravens a running combination that is rarest in the NFL with its speed and power. The strongest, most physical and unique running back alongside the fastest, most agile and mobile quarterback we’ve ever seen.

Last season, the Ravens had Gus Edwards, who was compared to Henry and was “Henry lite.” Now they have the man himself and with him a (hopefully) more committed running game.

3) The biggest change in Baltimore is the departure of defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to the Seattle Seahawks. Were there any signs that the transition to Zachary Orr at the helm of the team would not be smooth?

Everything I’ve seen has shown a smooth transition. The players have believed in Orr and his system from the moment it was announced he would be the next defensive coordinator. The players have respect and sympathy for him. His history, playing career and character give him the ethos, pathos and logos to convince this defense to believe in him. His fellow coaches also have a lot of faith in him and Harbaugh has given him nothing but positive comments about why he promoted such a young position coach to defensive playmaker who had never called plays before.

Now he has to prove it, and his first test is a real challenge, being the Chiefs, mastermind head coach Andy Reid, and Mahomes. I believe there will be bumps along the way – after all, everything can’t be perfect from the start, right? But I have faith in Orr as the Ravens’ new defensive coordinator.

4) The Ravens are rightly entering the season with high expectations and Super Bowl ambitions. Which position is most likely to prevent them from achieving their goals?

Until proven otherwise, the Ravens’ offensive line is their biggest weakness. The team parted ways with left guard John Simpson and right guard Kevin Zeitler and traded right tackle Morgan Moses to the New York Jets. Now they have left guard Andrew Vorhees, who redshirted last season after tearing an ACL during the NFL Combine, right guard Daniel Faalele, who moved up from right tackle last season, and either veteran and super sub Patrick Mekari or second-round rookie Roger Rosengarten at right tackle.

Those three played in every preseason game and left a lot to be desired. Running lanes were rarely created behind them. Of course, they were without left tackle Ronnie Stanley, center Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson, Henry and others, but they weren’t able to generate much pressure against their backups in preseason. The Chiefs – and an AFC North Division filled with powerful pass rushers and defensive linemen as a whole – could be this team’s undoing.

5) Can you make a prediction about how things will continue?

I’m not one for predictions, but I’ll try two different scenarios.

Chiefs win — The Chiefs send a message to the Ravens and the NFL by coming into the game fired up. Reid has spent the last few months game planning and now unleashes chaos on Orr, who is playing playmaking for the first time, and the Ravens are beaten to the core. Jones and the Chiefs defense have a field day against a porous offensive line, keeping Henry in check and Jackson sacked five or more times. The Ravens score a few more late points to put the game within reach, but for every Baltimore field goal, the Chiefs answer with a touchdown and the Ravens are overwhelmed, 34-20.

Ravens win —The Ravens defense gets physical and puts pressure on the wideouts. The Chiefs offense settles for field goals on the first three possessions, while the Ravens score two touchdowns and try to sustain long, time-consuming drives with Henry, Jackson and catches from tight end Mark Andrews. They leave the first half with a roughly 17-9 lead. The Ravens close things down, hoping to survive a second-half surge by the Chiefs, but give up the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. Both teams go back and forth for 10 minutes, managing only one or two first downs. Then Henry rips off a 20-yard run to get them within field goal range as the clock runs down, and kicker Justin Tucker sinks a 40-yard field goal for the 35-34 win.

Be sure to check out the answers I gave to your questions by clicking Here.