The Baltimore Ravens will open the 2024 NFL season against Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in what is both a rematch of the 2023 AFC Championship game and a matchup of arguably the two best teams in the NFL.
The Ravens are as well-equipped as any team in the league to take down Kansas City, as Lamar Jackson is one of the few quarterbacks in the league who can go toe-to-toe with Mahomes. Emmanuel Acho, however, seems to believe that one of the best rosters in the league has no shot of taking down Mahomes.
On FS1's Speak, Acho said the Ravens are no longer a threat to the Chiefs in the AFC. While the Ravens may not be as strong top to bottom as they were last season, Acho's take on their free agent losses is a bit off-base and overreactive.
Acho cites the loss of players like Patrick Queen, Geno Stone, and Jadeveon Clowney in free agency as a major obstacle. That will be problematic, but to imply that 2023 was the Ravens' best shot at beating the Chiefs despite so many stars on this roster is being overly pessimistic.
Ravens aren’t a threat to the Chiefs, says Emmanuel Achopic.twitter.com/KvADMLKOqp
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 15, 2024
Emmanuel Acho's ill-informed Baltimore Ravens take makes no sense
If the Ravens aren't a threat to the Chiefs next season, no one in the league is. The Ravens have an MVP quarterback at their disposal in Jackson, and the addition of Derrick Henry will help turn their sputtering postseason ground game into something truly elite.
Losing multiple starters on the best defense in football, but looking at it from close-up paints a more sympathetic picture for Baltimore. Queen had exactly one above-average season, and it came after Roquan Smith arrived. Stone was the third-best safety on the team, and losing Clowney isn't enough to totally destroy the defensive line.
Baltimore may have a new defensive coordinator in Zach Orr, but he comes from the same staff Mike Macdonald put together last year, which could lead to a very similar shape on that side of the ball. Smith, Justin Madubuike, and Kyle Hamilton are all still in town, and they're all among the best at their respective positions.
The Chiefs may end up dominating the AFC again due to the force multiplier thanks to the presence of Mahomes, but the Ravens still have as good a chance as anyone in the league at unseating them despite Acho's short-sighted criticisms.