Who will win the 2024 season opener?
Game Day 1 in the NFL is coming up and what a cracker of a duel it is on game day one. Right at the start of the season on Thursday night, there will be a rematch of the January playoffs in our Chiefs vs Ravens betting tip.
The reigning champions will open the season, something they didn’t do quite so well last year. They lost 20:21 at home to the Detroit Lions and will now have to deal with a similar caliber in 2024
The Ravens, however, have deteriorated slightly compared to the previous season, at least on paper. The departures of Clowney, Queen, Darby, Edwards and Dobbins have not all been made up for. Although they have secured one of the most coveted free agents in Derrick Henry, they are still considered the underdogs in Kansas City.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, are in a slightly better position than in the preseason, so our prediction for Kansas City vs. Baltimore this year is a home win for the Chiefs. In a game that is likely to start slow, but could end up being all the higher scoring
Kickoff for the very first game of the season is at 02:20 on Friday night in Kansas City. The game can be watched live on RTL or DAZN.
Kansas City Chiefs – Statistics & current form
The Kansas City Chiefs go into the season as double defending champions and are already considered the favorites for the upcoming season. Why? Because they haven’t gotten weaker, but have actually strengthened their roster.
This applies in particular to their wide receiver squad, where they have added two very fast receivers in Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy. However, Brown is still questionable for the first game day, which could mean an increased workload for rookie Worthy
Super Bowl tip on Chiefs possible
At the moment, bets on another Super Bowl win for the Chiefs are already possible. However, the same also applies to the 49ers in the NFC. The odds for both teams are still at 6.00 to 7.00, which could decrease as the season progresses.
We also see them as the favorites for the game against the Baltimore Ravens. Quite simply because they have significantly fewer changes to their squad than the Ravens. It will probably take a little longer for Henry and the other new players to settle in
Slow start likely
This is also one of the reasons why we expect a somewhat slower start to the season and more of a running game. We dare to doubt that more than 7.5 points will be scored in the first quarter. However, the strong quarterbacks at the back could mean that things get down to business.
For Kansas City vs. Baltimore, a bet on the fourth quarter as the highest scoring quarter is a somewhat unusual bet to start the season, but it also brings really good value with up to 3.00 (Bet365).
Key Players:
- QB: Patrick Mahomes
- RB: Isaiah Pacheco
- WR: Rashee Rice
- TE: Travis Kelce
- K: Harrison Butker
Baltimore Ravens – Statistics & current form
The Baltimore Ravens are entering another season in which they are one of the favorites. The question will be how they get their power on the field in the playoffs this season. Because it seems almost certain that they will reach them.
To take this next step, they signed Derrick Henry in the summer. The now 30-year-old running back has achieved almost 10,000 rushing yards in his career, with over 2,000 in 2020 alone.
Does Henry fit into the Ravens system?
This means the Ravens have upgraded the running back position and, along with Lamar Jackson, now have a one-two punch on the ground. But might that end up being too predictable?
With Flowers, Bateman and Agholor, they have one of the weakest wide receiver rooms in the entire NFL. More clearly needs to come from these players, with Zay Flowers in particular coming to mind.
Still, the Ravens could score more rushing touchdowns than passing touchdowns this season, which would be extraordinary
Tips on Ravens not yet recommended
During the season, we consider the Ravens to be one of the best teams in the league and they certainly won’t lose many games. However, things could still go wrong at the start of the season – especially since all the running backs and half the defense have been replaced.
So the Ravens should slowly find their feet – which also applies to the game against the Chiefs. However, if they are behind, we expect an increase in risk, which makes the odds on many points in the last quarter attractive for Chiefs vs Ravens.
Key Players:
- QB: Lamar Jackson
- RB: Derrick Henry
- WR: Zay Flowers
- TE: Mark Andrews
- K: Justin Tucker
Kansas City Chiefs – Baltimore Ravens head-to-head / H2H record
The last direct comparison was not so long ago. The Chiefs won the aforementioned playoff game in January away in Baltimore by 17:10, with the cold conditions certainly causing the extremely low score.
We’re expecting a few more points on Thursday night, although the scheduled 46 are unlikely to be reached. Thus, the odds of under 46.0 total points are also interesting for Chiefs vs. Ravens.
As far as the win is concerned, we expect the Chiefs to win at home, which should end up at 4-7 points. We also assume that no team will surpass the 27-point mark
Kansas City Chiefs – Baltimore Ravens tip
How do we approach this first game of the season from a betting perspective? This is often not so easy, as it is also a kind of location determination. We still don’t know how both teams have worked in the off-season and how the Ravens in particular have coped with their change of coordinator.
Therefore, winning bets are possible here, but not our number one tip recommendation. For Kansas City vs. Baltimore, this is a bet on the last quarter as the one with the most points. There are great odds for this and the likelihood that both teams will need some time to start the new season is not small
Alternatively, we recommend betting on under points. Especially as it is the first game for both teams, there could be a bit of sand in the gears at the beginning, which should not drive the total number of points to dizzying heights.
