Arrowhead Pride
On Saturday, the Kansas City Chiefs face the Baltimore Ravens. We welcome three contributors from Baltimore Beatdown — our sister SB Nation site covering the Ravens — for Five Questions with the Enemy.
The harsh truth is there’s a ton of panic in the fanbase. It’s less about the record; they’ve here plenty of times. Rather, it’s more about the preseason roster construction fears. The weakest part of the team going in was the lack of depth on the defensive line and the worries about guard play on the offensive line. Both fears have been realized.
It’s only Week 4 and the defensive tackle room has been obliterated already. Nnamdi Madubuike, the team’s best pass rusher, is out indefinitely with a neck injury nobody seems to know anything about. Travis Jones and Broderick Washington have missed practices this week. The team added two more tackles to the practice squad, not instilling confidence that guys are going to be healthy in the short or long term.
[Since this was written, the Ravens made several roster moves, placing Madubuike and Washington on their Reserve/Injured list, activating practice squad defensive lineman Brent Urban and tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden to the roster and elevating practice squad defensive tackles C.J. Okoye and Josh Tupou for Sunday’s game.]
The guard play also seems to be the biggest limiter on what could realistically be the best offense in the league. I’m not sure it will stop the team putting up points, as the league saw nationwide on Monday. But the worry about Lamar Jackson’s health is abundant, especially when you look at what’s happened with division rival Joe Burrow.
The team very well could right the ship and get back on track. The Ravens were 2-2 in 2019, 3-2 in 2023 (with massive questions) and 1-2 in 2024. They’ll probably make the playoffs. But panic about future playoff disappointment is hard to avoid right now.
— Zach Canter
It’s hard to imagine Derrick Henry’s ball security issues being a long-term liability for the Ravens.
First, the numbers. Henry has fumbled three times on 41 carries (7.3% fumble rate) this year, the same number he had on his previous 605 carries across 2023 and 2024. That’s an 0.5% fumble rate in the last two years, slightly lower than his 0.85% career mark coming into the 2025 season.
Second, the plays. Two of Henry’s fumbles were forced by elite defensive plays (Bills DT Ed Oliver, Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson). He could have covered up better against Oliver, and certainly against Browns CB Cam Mitchell in Week 2. Against Hutchinson, though, there may not have been anything he could have done.
Third, the player. Between his distraught reactions during...
