Ravens Linebacker Believes He Knows Key to Slow Down Chiefs

In just a few days, the Kansas City Chiefs will open up the 2024 NFL season against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite the Chiefs coming in as favorites in the matchup after winning the Super Bowl and defeating the Ravens in the AFC Championship, one Baltimore defender believes he knows the key to slowing down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense.
After a recent practice, Ravens All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith detailed how he believes the Ravens could gain an advantage over Kansas City’s offense.
“I think first and foremost, eliminating the run and making the guys one- dimensional like in [the AFC Championship],” said Smith. “Once we make a team one-dimensional and know exactly what they’ll do in a given situation, it gives us a chance as a defense to really pin our ears back and do exactly what we would like to do.”
So, according to Smith, the key for the Ravens defense to slow down Mahomes and the Chiefs will be to take away the run game. While the Chiefs were victorious in the AFC Championship game in January, they only scored 17 points on offense, and averaged just 2.8 yards-per-carry. So, while Smith’s answer seems easier said-than- done, it certainly seemed as though it was a successful strategy for the team’s defense in their last affair.
However, while that plan may work for the Ravens’ defense, they only scored 10 points on the offensive end back in January. So, maybe the Ravens should be worrying more about their offensive game plan, rather than their defensive game plan.