Dr. Z’s Forecast: Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens
Paul Zimmerman
Publication: Sports Illustrated
Date: September 29, 2003
Are the Chiefs the best team in football? Maybe, but before we get starry-eyed about their 3-0 start, let’s see if they can beat a good team on the road. They get their chance on Sunday.
Kansas City will be in Baltimore to face the Ravens, who play tough defense, especially at home. They also run the ball better than any other team and take great pains to protect their rookie quarterback, Kyle Boller. Baltimore is one of the few teams of the modern era that runs the ball more than it passes and gains most of its yards on the ground. In fact, the Ravens have more than twice as many rushing yards (583) as passing yards (290).
Boller runs a very conservative show, averaging only eight yards per completion. His primary function is not to screw up things for the defense and Jamal Lewis, the league’s leading rusher. Lewis also likes to talk a little smack, directing it mostly at enemy runners. The Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson was his target last weekend, and this time the opposition is no less than the formidable Priest Holmes. Call this the plot within the plot.
The Kansas City offense is multidimensional, but that’s canceled out by Baltimore’s decided edge on defense. The Chiefs are improving on that side of the ball, but can they control the Ravens’ ground attack? I think so–to a point. I’ll give Baltimore about 140 rushing yards on Sunday. Can the Ravens cope with K.C.’s fine offensive line and explosive attack? Yes, if the Baltimore offense doesn’t turn the ball over and give the Chiefs a short field to work with. But the Ravens have already turned the ball over six times this season, and I see more of the same happening. The Chiefs are the pick.
