To not fault of their own, the Ravens will be facing uncharted waters when they host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (-3.5) on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 2. It will mark the first time that the Ravens are more than three-point underdogs at home with Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback, via ESPN's Jamison Hensley. Kansas City will come to Baltimore a week after rallying from behind to defeat the Browns at home. The Ravens are 0-1 after falling to the Raiders in overtime on Monday night.
A jaw-dropping amount of injuries is one of the main reasons why the Ravens are historic underdogs for Sunday's game. On Tuesday, guard Tyre Phillips became the 13th Raven to be placed on injured reserve. Defensive end Derek Wolfe (back/hip) and cornerback Jimmy Smith (ankle) did not play in Baltimore's loss to Las Vegas.
Among Baltimore's players currently on injured reserve include cornerback Marcus Peters; tight end Nick Boyle; running backs J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Justice Hill; receivers Miles Boykin and Rashod Bateman; and linebacker L.J. Fort.
Despite their rash of injuries, the Ravens nearly defeated the Raiders in front of a sellout crowd at Allegiant Stadium. Jackson accounted for 321 total yards and led Baltimore in rushing with 86 yards on 12 carries. Ty'Son Williams contributed to the cause with 65 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Newcomer Latavius Murray's 8-yard touchdown run gave Baltimore a 24-17 lead with 6:03 left.
Baltimore was unable to keep their lead, however, as Derek Carr engineered three fourth-quarter scoring drives to force overtime. The Raiders won the game on Carr's 31-yard touchdown pass to Zay Jones two plays after defensive lineman Carl Nassib's strip sack of Jackson.
"We just didn't close the game out when we had the opportunity to do it, three or four times," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said following Monday night's loss, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. "That's what you need to do. When you have an opportunity to win, you've got to go win it. We just didn't do that tonight."
The Chiefs were on the opposite end of that story in Week 1. Trailing the Browns, 22-10, at halftime, Kansas City scored 23 of the game's final 30 points to squeak out a 33-29 victory. Mahomes boasts a 3-0 record against the Ravens that includes their 34-20 win in Baltimore in Week 3 of the 2020 season.
The Ravens are loaded again. Is this the year Lamar Jackson wins it all? For breaking news, analysis and player insights, download the CBS Sports app right now. Favorite the Ravens now if you already have the app.
