The NFL season kicks off tonight with a game between Super Bowl champs the Kansas City Chiefs and most recent Super Bowl losers, the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs are looking to start their run for a three-peat season off strong with a victory against the Ravens, but they'll be down a running back after placing Clyde Edwards-Helaire on reserve. Meanwhile, the Ravens will be looking to prove themselves after their 17-10 loss to Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs in February. The NFL kickoff game is scheduled for tonight, Sept. 5, kicking off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC (and Telemundo) and streaming live on Peacock.
The 2024/25 NFL season kicks off this Thursday, NOT with a Thursday Night Football game but with a Super Bowl rematch between the Ravens and the Chiefs during primetime on NBC. The Ravens at Chiefs game starts off a kickoff weekend jam-packed with action, including the first-ever NFL game to be played in South America.
The Chiefs host the Ravens this Thursday, Sept. 5 for the NFL season kick-off game, airing on NBC and streaming live on Peacock. Don't have cable? Here's what we recommend to help you watch live:
Starting at $8/month, a Peacock subscription will get you access to the Chiefs vs. Ravens kick off game AND the Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles Sao Paulo, Brazil game streaming exclusively on the platform during kickoff week. Plus, get NFL games on NBC, select college football games, Premier League matches, and access thousands of hours of shows and movies, including beloved sitcoms such as Parks and Recreation and The Office. For $14 monthly you can upgrade to an ad-free subscription which includes live access to your local NBC affiliate (not just during designated sports and events) and the ability to download select titles to watch offline.
The Ravens will be looking for revenge after falling to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. They will be hoping to make a statement with their new offensive weapon, Derrick Henry.
It’s beginning to feel like Groundhog Day once the NFL season premiere rolls around as the Kansas City Chiefs are back basking in the prime-time spotlight looking to sustain their dynasty.
The defending Super Bowl LVII Champions were stunned by the Detroit Lions in last year’s Week 1.
It didn’t make any difference come February.
While the Chiefs’ legacy grows a little longer, the targets on the backs of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes grow a bit bigger — naturally, of course.
At the front of the line of the 31 archers aiming for that bull’s-eye are the Baltimore Ravens, who get a chance from the get-go to avenge their 17-10 defeat in the AFC Championship Game.
Kansas City was favored by 4.5 points then.
With a new defensive coordinator and the league’s rushing leader over the last eight seasons, the Ravens now enter Thursday as underdogs by a field goal.
There’s never really been a true bell cow back on the Ravens in the Lamar Jackson era.
Some of John Harbaugh’s best choices have gotten injured. Otherwise, it’s been a platoon.
The offense ran through Jackson’s agile intuition anyway, making him the most threatening quarterback rushing talent since Michael Vick.
With Henry now in the backfield, the offense morphs to a dual-rushing threat while alleviating full-time dependency on Jackson’s legs.
Henry isn’t getting any younger as he begins his ninth season Thursday.
The 30-year-old bruiser saw a big dip in his usage during his last year in Tennessee, dropping from 21.8 carries in 2022 to 16.5.
That’s one attempt higher than where the line is set for his rush attempts prop in his first game in purple and black.
We can expect a hefty dosage of running in early downs after the Ravens questionably abandoned their league-leading rushing offense for the pass in the AFC Championship.
The Chiefs had ranked 24th overall in yards per rushing attempt. Enter Derrick Henry.
If you placed any Chiefs props at all last season, you were probably familiar with betting Pacheco to find pay dirt down the stretch.
The emerging running back and his inimitable pitter-patter stride scored five total touchdowns in the final four weeks of the regular season and one in each playoff game leading up to the Super Bowl.
Pacheco finished his sophomore season as a notable red zone presence: he recorded the seventh-most touches and tied for the sixth-most targets among all running backs from inside the 20-yard line.
In his AFC Championship showing, Pacheco tied his career-high in attempts at 24 against the Ravens.
A lot remains to be seen with the 32-year-old former linebackers coach Zach Orr stepping up as the new defensive coordinator after the Ravens deployed the No. 1 unit in defensive DVOA.
For one thing, he’s inherited a secondary that allowed the second-fewest passing touchdowns and never allowed a quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards in a game.
Mahomes will need No. 10 out of the backfield once the Chiefs tug their way into scoring range.
BetMGM has Pacheco’s anytime-touchdown-scorer prop listed at even-money.
That offers adequate value for one of the more confident bets in this market Thursday night.
The success of Mahomes and Jackson has led some to think this could be the next Brady-Manning rivalry. At this stage, Mahomes vs. Jackson has been more uneven than epic.
Jackson's four losses against Kansas City are his most against any team. Other than Mahomes, no quarterback has beaten Jackson more than twice.
Jackson has been one of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL, surpassing Mahomes in February to become the youngest two-time MVP (age 27) since the merger. As a dual-threat playmaker, Jackson has led the Ravens to the best regular-season record in the league twice in his first six seasons (14-2 in 2019, 13-4 in 2023).
When competing against other top quarterbacks, Jackson has usually come out on top. He won both of his meetings against Tom Brady. He's beaten Joe Burrow four out of five times.
But he's struggled to outduel Mahomes. Jackson's first loss as a starter was a 27-24 defeat in Kansas City in Week 14 of the 2018 season, when he was knocked out of the game in overtime with an ankle injury. In 2020, after Jackson's third straight loss to the Chiefs, he called them “our kryptonite.”
In January, Jackson was stopped one game short of reaching his first Super Bowl when the Chiefs held him to 10 points or less for just the fourth time in his 83-game career.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Mahomes and Jackson can be measured by the smallest of margins.
Mahomes set the tone in the AFC Championship Game in the first quarter: He completed an improbable back-shoulder 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce, who had a half-yard separation on Hamilton, for the first score of the game.
Thursday will be advertised as a historic night of superstar quarterbacks. This will mark the first showdown between players with multiple MVP awards under the age of 30.
Against Kansas City, Jackson has stumbled to create plays against a defense that unleashes heavy blitzes and takes away his top target in tight end Mark Andrews. He has recorded five passing touchdowns and three interceptions for a 53 QBR against the Chiefs.
Mahomes, meanwhile, uses his accuracy to find cracks in Baltimore's defense. There have been perfectly placed long throws to the end zone and off-balance precise passes against the grain. Mahomes has thrown 13 touchdowns and two interceptions for a 86.2 QBR against the Ravens, who in 2023 became the first team in history to lead the league in fewest points allowed (16.5), most sacks (60) and most takeaways (tied for first at 31) in the same season.
To change his fortune against Mahomes, Jackson can look to another historic rivalry.
Peyton Manning lost his first six head-to-head meetings against Brady before winning the next three. He defeated Brady twice in 2006 -- in Week 9 and the AFC Championship Game -- on his way to his first Super Bowl. Brady finished with a 11-6 record against Manning, but Manning won six of the last 11 matchups.
“I think more than athletic ability and ability to throw is the way he competes,” Mahomes said about Jackson. “I mean, he’s a guy that competes every single week. You can tell he cares. You can tell he wants to go out there and win and he wants to put it on his shoulders to take his team to where they can win as many games as possible. And I think that’s something that’s truly what it really takes to be a great quarterback in this league.
“It’s not always about talent. It’s about can you go out there and compete every single week and find ways to, whenever you don’t have your best stuff, your team doesn’t have your best stuff, you find ways to win football games that way.”
IN THE AFC Championship Game, Jackson dazzled the football world by completing a 13-yard pass -- to himself. After his throw was tipped at the line of scrimmage, Jackson ran under it and had a path to the end zone.
It was a moment that led Jackson to winning an ESPY for “Best Play.” But Jackson didn't like the play.
He was tackled from behind by Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, turning what could have been an 82-yard touchdown into a modest gain. It caused Jackson to drop 15 pounds this offseason.
Since becoming the Ravens' starter midway through the 2018 season, Jackson is tied with Mahomes for the best win percentage in the regular season. Jackson is 58-19 (.753), and Mahomes is 64-21 (.753).
The difference comes in the postseason. Mahomes is 15-3 in the playoffs, winning three Super Bowls. Jackson is 2-4 in the postseason and has never reached a Super Bowl.
The Ravens have undergone change since the AFC Championship Game. Jackson will line up behind a revamped offensive line, which features three new starters. Baltimore signed running back Derrick Henry, becoming the first All-Pro to share the backfield with Jackson.
But, if Jackson wants to reach his ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, he will likely need to figure out a way to get through Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“He’s always finding a way to elevate himself and his game,” Andrews said. “It’s just a complete package of taking control of this offense [and] telling everybody what he wants to be done. He’s been extremely vocal about that, which I think has been amazing for everybody, and that goes back to all of us being on the same page. He’s got that down really, really well right now, and guys are bought in. So, we’re going to be tested [Thursday], and I hope it shows.”
