KC Chiefs will confront Ravens’ Jackson and this old nemesis in Thursday’s opener

No NFL season rides on the first game. The Chiefs proved that last season, dropping last year’s opener to the Detroit Lions before going on to win their second straight Super Bowl.

But it’s also true that an opener can begin to reveal a team’s identity. Again, consider last year.

The Chiefs were coming off a 2022 season that was big for the offense. They led the NFL in scoring and yards in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ second MVP season. They opened that year with 44-21 romp at Arizona and scored at least 30 points in eight games.

Much the same was expected a year ago as the Chiefs began their title defense, but in a 21-20 loss to Detroit, a new approach emerged. The Chiefs, by Mahomes’ standards, struggled to score. They hit 30 points in a game three times and their offense finished middle of the pack statistically.

Their defense, meanwhile, became ferocious, finishing second in the NFL in points and yards allowed.

What will this season’s Chiefs reveal Thursday night, when they play their 2024 opener against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium?

The 2024 Chiefs’ biggest gains appear on offense. Start with the wide receivers: first-round NFL Draft pick Xavier Worthy and the return of JuJu Smith-Schuster. Another addition at receiver, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, won’t play because of injury.

The departures of safety L’Jarius Sneed and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. may mean a net loss for the defense. Look for a few more points on both sides of the ball than last year’s average 22-17 score of a Chiefs game.

Here’s what else to watch as the Chiefs open their 65th season Thursday at 7 p.m.:

Chiefs player to watch: Linebacker Drue Tranquill

Opposing linebackers are typically active against a Ravens offense that emphasizes the running and short-passing games. Tranquill’s snaps will increase this season with Gay gone. He led the Chiefs with eight tackles against the Ravens in the AFC title game, including a memorable one: Tranquill was the defender who ran down Lamar Jackson after he caught the deflected pass and was poised for a big gain.

“We know their personnel, we know our personnel, and it’s two physical teams,” Tranquill said.

Ravens player to watch: Running back Derrick Henry

Henry is coming off an un-Henry-like season in which rushed for 68.6 yards per game and matched a career-low with 4.2 yards per carry in his eighth year with the Tennessee Titans. But he’s rejuvenated with the Ravens and gives Baltimore a formidable 1-2 punch with quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The Chiefs held the Ravens, the NFL’s top rushing team last year, to 81 yards in the AFC title game. Baltimore got just 23 from its running backs.

“I was wishing I could suit up that day,” Henry told reporters in Baltimore earlier this week. “But yes, now it’s my turn, so (I have) to take advantage of it. It’s going to be a hell of a game.”

The Chiefs have seen Henry at his best. He rushed for 188 yards in the Titans’ 35-32 victory in 2019 and 156 yards in Tennessee’s playoff victory at Arrowhead in 2017. Including the postseason, Henry has scored eight touchdowns against the Chiefs.

Special teams players of note: Harrison Butker, Justin Tucker

Thursday evening’s game matches the most accurate field-goal kickers in NFL history, Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker. And now their accuracy will be needed for a new kickoff rule that’s intended to increase returns.

Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub was asked what the ideal kickoff will look like this season.

“The ideal thing is to hit it about the 5 — it gets by them and into the end zone,” Toub said. “Harrison can move the ball around. We feel confident with him doing that.”

That would be a touchback. The ball would come out to the 20, or the kick could be returned.

The NFL reported that 70.5% of the league’s nearly 420 kickoffs in this year’s preseason were returned. Last season, the return rate was 54.8%. Teams’ average starting field position was the 29-yard line, some 4 1/2 yards farther downfield than last season.