Raven Country

Ravens, Chiefs on Collision Course for AFC Supremacy?

Baltimore has Super Bowl aspirations.

Todd Karpovich

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens are once again one of the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season. 

However, the AFC title still runs through Kansas City.

The Ravens and Chiefs could battle for supremacy this season, according to Adam Rank, of NFL.com. 

"I'm bullish on Baltimore this year, despite the fact that the Ravens have one of the league's toughest schedules," X wrote. "But as long as the defense can stay in the top 10 -- and it's the Ravens, so of course that's going to happen -- I look for the offense to improve on last year's No. 19 ranking in total yardage, which could make Baltimore the most dangerous AFC team outside of Kansas City."

The Ravens are tied with the Los Angeles Rams with the fifth-best odds to win Super Bowl LVI behind the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, and San Francisco 49ers, according to FanDuel.

FanDuel also has the Ravens as the seventh-best team in their Power Rankings behind the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Bills, Rams, 49ers and Cleveland Browns.

Lamar Jackson is entering his fourth season as the Ravens quarterback after winning the league MVP in the 2019 season. Baltimore has made the playoffs in each of the past three years and has led the league in rushing for the past two seasons.

Baltimore boosted its passing attack with the addition of veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins and a couple of selections in this year's draft — Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace.

Defensively, the Ravens are expected to be stout, which means a division title should be within their grasp.

Watkins is confident the Baltimore has the same infrastructure as the Chiefs in place to win a championship.

Kansas City has beaten the Ravens in each of the past three seasons. Baltimore hosts the Chiefs on Sept. 19. 

“It’s similar cultures," Watkins said. "This is a brotherhood, [and] I think here, it’s definitely special. You’ve got a young group of guys on this team and great coaches and a great vibe. [It’s] kind of the same feeling I got from Kansas City, just as far as a winning mentality.

"So, honestly, it feels like Kansas City to me. It feels like a team that’s ready to win the Super Bowl, a team that’s ready to win and go out there and have fun, put up points – good defense, good special teams." 

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Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University. 

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