Chiefs vs. Ravens: Chiefs' Offensive Preview

The Chiefs' offense is a shadow of what they once were, which is why the Chiefs can't be too excited about facing arguably the best defense in the NFL.

When the Chiefs run the ball:
You'll recall that the last time the Chiefs played the Ravens on Monday Night Football, the Chiefs won that game by frustrating the living daylights out of Ray Lewis. They did so by throwing lots of blockers in his direction. Most of the game, they had two or three blockers on him.

The equation should probably stay the same today: how many blockers can the Chiefs get to the second level? Granted, one of the major parts to that old equation was good ole' trusty Tony Richardson, who was about as good as it gets plowing into defenders on the second level. But most of the interior blockers that drove this power running game are still there, so I don't expect the Chiefs to stray too much from this strategy.

Expect a very, very heavy dosage of Larry Johnson.The Chiefs probably recognize that the Ravens don't have a prolific offense and the key to this game is going to be controlling the tempo of the game. This is going to be a game where the classis Herm-ball approach spreads its wings. The Chiefs can only expect to win if they control the clock and hopefully wear the defense down enough to get the Chiefs some late scores. The running backs are going to probably carry the ball a lot. It would not surprise me if LJ has close to 40 carries and Bennett has about 10.

When the Chiefs pass the ball:
The Ravens have typically done a very good job neutralizing Tony Gonzalez. Then again, Gonzalez has been playing like a man possessed this season.

Still, the Chiefs have had the most success in the past against the Ravens, believe it or not, by using their receivers. Surprisingly, the Chiefs like to go after Chris McCallister. Then again, it's easy to do that when you have Willie Roaf protecting your blind side. The Chiefs struggled against Jason Taylor (then again, who doesn't). The Chiefs' biggest blocking test will be neutralizing Adalius Thomas. The Chiefs' offense actually did a very good job against Shawn Merriman, who I believe plays a very similar role, so perhaps there is some hope on the Chiefs' end.

The Chiefs will run into another problem: Ed Reed is patrolling the other side of the field. I'll say it right now: I truly believe that Ed Reed is the best defensive player in football. It's kind of scary when a safety knows an offense better than the quarterback. Reed has caused some problems in the past for the Chiefs. Green was terrific against the Browns, but he did let a few passes slip away. He will have to be razor sharp if he expects to keep the ball out of Reed's hands.

Prediction:
I believe that this game will depend on two teams chipping away at each other. I see the Chiefs playing safe offensive football and breaking a few good drives to squeak them to victory. Chiefs 17 - Ravens 10.