Four Keys to Ravens Victory vs. Chiefs

Even though the Chiefs' star defensive lineman isn't off to the hottest of starts with just one sack in three games, he is capable of single-handedly blowing up any passing or running play at any given time. Jones historically has been especially dangerous in key situations in close games when it comes to either sealing a win or shifting the momentum back in his team's favor if they happen to be trailing. Ensuring he can't get back to being his usual highly disruptive self is among the entire offense's top priorities in this game.

Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will either instruct Jones to line up over a certain side of the opposing offensive line or allow him the liberty to seek out and exploit what he deems is an exploitable matchup. He dominated the right side of the Ravens' offensive line in last year's season-opener and will be going against the same two players he took advantage of in that game, with second-year tackle Roger Rosengarten and fourth-year guard Daniel Faalele both returning as starters. However, if veteran backup swing tackle Joseph Noteboom starts in place of two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who is dealing with an ankle injury, Jones might try his luck attacking Lamar Jackson's blindside.

Get Back to Playing Complementary Football

In order to prove that they are on their way back to being one of the best teams in the league, the Ravens need to show they can make plays in all three phases of the game and not just lean on Jackson and the offense to carry the load. They got that from their special teams unit against the Detroit Lions with a long kick return and the continued excellence from fourth-year punter Jordan Stout, but their defense allowed a pair of 95-plus-yard touchdown drives and struggled mightily to get off the field on third down, generate any semblance of a pass rush or force any turnovers.

Generating one or takeaways, getting key stops, not allowing long returns and coming up with clutch plays to gain an advantage of some kind or steal a possession for their high-powered offense will increase the Ravens' chances of emerging victorious. If so, they would notch their first win at Arrowhead Stadium since Week 5 of the 2012 season, which just so happens to be the last year they won the Super Bowl.

Avoid Self Inflicted Wounds at All Costs

More often than not, the cardinal sin most teams commit when going against Kansas City are unforced errors that come back to bite them in the end. The Chiefs are experts in capitalizing on their opponents' mistakes and making them pay dearly. It can come in many forms, such as, turning a turnover into points, enticing retaliatory action by defenders to draw a flags, making the most out of favorable field position and finding away to get points at the end of half by perfectly managing the clock with getting out of bounds and running the ball to officials to spot the ball as well as fire drill field goal situations.

Even with the litany of injuries that the Ravens have piled up in recent weeks, that included placing two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on injured reserve, they are still the more talented team in this matchup. However, that won't mean much if they can't take care of the ball or sustain drives on offense, take the ball away or at least get stops on defense and win the battle for field position on special teams.

Some specific mistakes that they need to avoid are Derrick Henry's fumbling woes, missing tackles on defense and rookie kicker Tyler Loop can't afford to keep missing the landing zone or kicking the ball out of bounds because giving Mahomes the all 10 yards shy of midfield is practically giving the Chiefs at least three points, if not more.