The Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready to face the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Week 3. These are the two winningest teams in the NFL since Week 11 of 2018. The two clubs haven’t played each other since Week 3 of the 2019 season, prior to the Chiefs’ win in Super Bowl LIV.

To learn more about Kansas City’s opponent, we spoke with managing editor Matthew Stevens over at Ravens Wire and asked him a few questions.

Chiefs Wire: What has made the Baltimore Ravens such a tough team to beat through the first two weeks of the 2020 season?

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Matthew Stevens: They’re a really complete team. Offensively, they returned 10-of-11 starters from that record-breaking 2019 unit while quarterback Lamar Jackson has made pretty big strides as a passer. They have even more depth at running back now, helping them keep everyone healthier while giving them fresh legs whenever they need it. Defensively, they completely revamped their defensive line and inside linebacker corps. Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe have really helped the defensive line become far more stout than they were last year while Patrick Queen and company have brought more speed and talent at linebacker. The secondary was already among the best in the league and they’ve lived up to that hype thus far. Then on special teams, the Ravens have the best punter and kicker in the NFL right now, bar none. All of that is led by 2019’s Coach of the Year, John Harbaugh. On top of that, this is a team that recognized they’ve got a real shot at winning it all this season while being very clear they wasted their opportunity last season. They’ve come into 2020 with a renewed drive and a lot more grit to overcome the smaller hurdles that tripped them up at times last season.

Chiefs Wire: Are there any unheralded Ravens players that Chiefs fans should know about ahead of Week 3?

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Matthew Stevens: The big names are there and will draw the most attention of course. But outside linebacker Tyus Bowser and inside linebacker L.J. Fort have really stepped it up through two games this season.

Bowser became more consistent at the end of last season, finally living up to his draft expectations. He’s continued that this season, setting the edge well and making his pressures count, bringing down quarterbacks two times out of three total pressures. Baltimore has been a linebacker factory for two decades now and Bowser looks like the next in line to play himself into a fat contract elsewhere as he’s a free agent next offseason.

If you believe Pro Football Focus’ analysis, Fort is the second-best linebacker in the NFL right now with an elite 89.4 overall grade. He’s smart, has some experience, and is athletic enough to put it all together on the field. He’s been great in run defense (though that defensive line deserves a lot of credit for keeping blockers from getting to the second level) and he’s been really solid in coverage, with quarterbacks having a paltry 70.1 passer rating when targeting him.

Neither guy is a world-beater but it’s those quietly productive no-name guys that really bring everything together. And without Bowser and Fort playing as they have been, the Ravens’ defense isn’t quite as good.

Chiefs Wire: Is this a prove-it game for the Ravens in the sense that they didn’t get to face the Chiefs in the 2019-20 playoffs en route to Super Bowl LIV?

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Matthew Stevens: I think so on a few fronts, really.

Playing the reigning Super Bowl champs is always an important game in this league and all 13 teams they’ll face this season will give their best efforts to dethrone them. But there’s a little bit of revenge in this for Baltimore too. Kansas City was one of the Ravens’ two regular-season losses last season.

It’s also a really good test for both teams. Baltimore and Kansas City are arguably the top two teams in the NFL right now, making this Week 3 matchup a chance for both squads to announce themselves as the leader of the pack. For the Ravens, beating a team as capable as the Chiefs proves not only to the public but to themselves that they’re as good as they think they are. And this is a team that has relied quite a bit on swagger to keep them rolling in previous seasons, giving them a chance to strut around if they win.

Chiefs Wire: John Harbaugh and Andy Reid-coached teams have met five times since 2008. Harbaugh beat Reid once in that initial matchup back in 2008 but hasn’t won since. Do you get the sense that it might be a bit personal for Harbaugh to get the win over his former mentor in this one?

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Matthew Stevens: I think the answer you’d get from Harbaugh is that every game is personal and he wants to win them all. But really, who doesn’t want to beat their former boss at their job? Beating a former boss and mentor is a classic measuring stick trope in the movies and television for a reason. I think most professional athletes and coaches look for any little slight or reason to get extra ramped up for a big game and if Harbaugh is pumped for the idea of beating Reid, I’m certainly not going to argue.

Chiefs Wire: I know you’ve already shared your bold prediction over on the Chiefs Wire podcast but can you reiterate it in writing here?

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Matthew Stevens: Oh man, I know people are going to hate me for this because it is really bold. And on one hand, the real expectation is that this game comes down to the final plays and only a few points difference. But we’ve got a return of football after months of wondering if we’d even have a season, much less this matchup, so I’m going all the way out on that branch in this one.

Ravens win, 35-24. Last season’s matchup was so close with a final margin-of-victory of just five points. With Baltimore nearly completely replacing their front-seven on defense for these exact types of games, combined with that deadly secondary and Lamar Jackson’s improvements as a passer, I have to go with the Ravens here. I think all those changes add another touchdown while getting Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs’ offense off the field on a few more drives than they did last time. But even with that rather lopsided score, this game takes everything out of both teams and it still feels like the final play of the game could win it all, even though it can’t.