Chiefs vs. Ravens 2020: Prediction, Spread, Odds For Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson Showdown

The Kansas City Chiefs will visit the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, pitting the NFL’s Super Bowl favorites against one another. The AFC powerhouses share the same championship odds at several sportsbooks, but Baltimore is the clear favorite in the “Monday Night Football” matchup.

The early betting line favors the Ravens by three points, according to odds compiled by OddsShark. The over/under is 53.5.

The defending champion Chiefs are 2-0 to start the season, extending their winning streak to 11 games dating back to 2019. The Ravens are undefeated, as well, and they’ve easily been the more impressive team through two weeks.

Kansas City just narrowly escaped an upset against the Los Angeles Chargers, defeating their division rivals 23-20 in overtime. The Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 34-20 on opening night.

Baltimore has barely broken a sweat on its way to a 2-0 record. In their 33-16 win over the Texans in Week 2, the Ravens led by at least two scores for the game’s final 35 minutes. Baltimore blew out the Cleveland Browns 38-6 in Week 1, a victory that seems more impressive after Cleveland scored 35 points in Week 2.

Outscoring their opponents by 49 points, the Ravens easily have the AFC’s best point differential. Kansas City is a distant second at plus-17.

This is nothing new for Baltimore. The Ravens have simply picked up where they left off last season. During their 14-game regular-season win streak, Baltimore has 10 wins by at least 14 points.

Lamar Jackson might be even better than he was a year ago when he became the unanimous NFL MVP. The quarterback has a 134.6 passer rating and 99 rushing yards through two games.

Patrick Mahomes proved to be the sport’s top player by winning the Super Bowl LIV MVP award. If the Ravens and Chiefs meet in January, it’ll be hard to bet against Mahomes with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.

In Week 3 of the regular season, however, Baltimore is more likely to come out on top.

Kansas City doesn’t yet seem to be firing on all cylinders. The Chiefs had trouble moving the ball in LA, eking out a victory on the strength of some spectacular plays by Mahomes and a pair of 58-yard field goals.

Had the Chiefs been playing the Ravens instead of the Chargers, they might have lost by two scores.

Baltimore is fourth in yards per play, while Kansas City ranks 18th. The Ravens are fifth in opponents’ yards per play, and the Chiefs are 24th in that same category. Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson combined for a 76.8 passer rating against Baltimore’s defense.

Watson was good against Kansas City in the opener, but he didn’t get much help from his receivers or offensive line. Justin Herbert threw for 311 yards and a 94.4 passer rating against the Chiefs, and he didn’t find out he was making his NFL debut until after the coin toss.

No one is stopping Jackson and the Ravens right now. Even Mahomes and the champs will have trouble keeping up Monday night.

Prediction: Baltimore over Kansas City, 31-24