Ravens 3 Keys to Victory @ Chiefs

September 30, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) scores a touchdown as San Diego Chargers strong safety Atari Bigby (26) attempts the tackle in the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

The Ravens are going into Kansas City to face the chiefs in just a few short hours. The Chiefs are a 1-3 mess, but they are still a very talented and dangerous team. Here are three things the Ravens need to do to avoid an upset loss.

1. Slow Down Charles- Jamaal Charles leads the NFL in Scrimmage yards right now. He is a Chris Johnson-esque threat to score every time he touches the ball. The last time these teams met up, Charles scored early on a 41 yard break away run that fired the home crowd up quite a bit. The first thing any team must do when facing the Chiefs is stop Charles.

2. Get Ahead Early- This goes hand in hand with stopping Charles. If the Ravens can secure a lead early in the game they can force the Chiefs back on their heels and put the ball in the hands of Matt Cassel. Cassel has thrown 7 INTs this season so that is a matchup the Ravens will try to exploit as much as possible. scoring early and getting ahed 10+ in the first half would force Cassel into a desperate mentality and perhaps cause him to try and squeeze passes into non-existant holes in the D causing turnovers.

3. Take Away The Home Crowd- The Chiefs have one of the top 3 crowds in the league (seriously, if you ever get a chance to go to a chiefs game, do it. great experiences there. I went to the Ravens playoff game a few years ago and tailgated with the home crowd. I was treated with respect and fed well. one fan told me “We’ll feed you well, kick your ass on the field and send you home with a full belly and a broken heart.” These fans are the real deal). If a game is tight, that crowd is about as loud as it gets. The Ravens can not afford to let the Chiefs hang around and get the crowd on their side. When they really get into it, they make things extremely difficult for opposing offenses. The Ravens can’t let this turn into last years game against Seattle.

The Ravens shouldn’t have any issue disposing of the Chiefs. They just need to make sure they stay inside their game and don’t beat themselves.