The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens entered the season with Super Bowl-or-bust goals. One of them will be 1-3 after this week’s matchup—unless the game ends in a tie.
Coming off a 38-30 loss at home to Detroit on Monday night, Baltimore will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Sunday in a critical showdown for both teams. Historically, only the 2001 New England Patriots have started 1-3 and gone on to win the Super Bowl, underscoring the challenge ahead for the losing side.
“I feel like the way we performed was a hole; a huge hole, but it’s still the beginning of the season,” Lamar Jackson said after being sacked seven times by the Lions. “We have a lot of work to do, and we just have to execute.”
This Sunday’s game will feature a unique quarterback duel. According to NFL research, the Jackson-Mahomes matchup will be the first between multiple-time MVP quarterbacks in which both entered the game with losing records for the season. It also marks the first time multi-time MVP QBs face off with a combined record below .500.
### AFC Struggles Continue
The AFC is off to a surprisingly slow start this year. Only six teams in the conference hold a winning record, including just three playoff qualifiers from last season: the Buffalo Bills (3-0), Los Angeles Chargers (3-0), and Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1).
In contrast, all seven NFL playoff teams from the NFC in 2024 currently boast winning records, joined by three additional clubs. Except for the Houston Texans (0-3)—two-time defending AFC South champions—no team truly needs to panic yet.
Houston is in a particularly difficult spot, trailing division rivals Indianapolis (3-0) and Jacksonville (2-1), both playing well early on.
Despite Baltimore’s tough road ahead, Bet MGM Sportsbook still ranks the Ravens with the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl, trailing only Philadelphia. The Bills currently lead the betting odds, while the Eagles (3-0) and Packers (2-1) are tied for third. Interestingly, Philadelphia’s odds dropped slightly even as the Eagles remain undefeated.
### Quarterback Carousel Heating Up
The NFL trade deadline isn’t until November 4, but some teams are already eyeing quarterback options.
The New York Giants could be contacted about Russell Wilson or Jameis Winston, as rookie Jaxson Dart has taken the lead role there. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals, who went 4-3 with Jake Browning filling in for an injured Joe Burrow last season, suffered their worst loss in franchise history—a 48-10 defeat against Minnesota.
Browning is familiar with coach Zac Taylor’s offense, but Russell Wilson might bring a spark, especially throwing to top receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Wilson notably threw for 450 yards against the Cowboys in Week 2, indicating he could be productive if moved.
### Throw Eagles Throw
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts had zero touchdown passes in the first 10 quarters of the season before the Eagles fell behind the Rams by 19 points. The offense then opened up dramatically.
Hurts completed 17 of 24 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the second half, helping Philadelphia secure a 33-26 victory, capped by Jordan Davis’ blocked field goal.
Why was the passing attack stagnant early on?
“We want to be the aggressive person, right? The word this past week for the offense when I spoke to the offense was ‘attack,’” offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo explained. “We want to be in attack mode, and going into the game, that was what we wanted to do. The first drive was a good drive. We went for it on fourth down, we threw the ball down into the red zone at the goal lines. We were in attack mode.
“We got stuck in those weird situations where we just couldn’t get it out of there and get it going. And then the second half, obviously, we had to play a little bit differently, but we were able to get it going.”
### Rookie Bond
Texans rookie wide receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have developed a close friendship dating back to their time at Iowa State. Their tight-knit relationship has only grown stronger since Houston selected Higgins in the second round and Noel in the third round of the NFL Draft.
The duo shares a love of fishing and started a “J&JFishinn” TikTok channel while in college. Although their NFL careers demand their full attention now, they still hope to find time to fish whenever possible.
In the first three games, Higgins has recorded four catches for 65 yards, while Noel has two receptions for 11 yards.
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