Player Prop To Kick Off The NFL Season

Ravens vs. Chiefs, 8:20 ET

Tonight mark the kickoff of the 2024-2025 NFL Season. The past two seasons have ended the same, and if the Kansas City fans have their way, this will have the same ending this season. I think we can all just be happy that we have 18 weeks of football and playoffs to enjoy what happens and the storylines that come out this year. We mark the beginning of this year with the Ravens taking on the Chiefs in a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game.

The Ravens have last year's MVP, Lamar Jackson, under center and a new backfield mate to supplant his offense as Derrick Henry is now with him. Jackson has Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman on the outside and Mark Andrews to roam the rest of the field. Will this offense remain as potent as it was last year? I think they will be very successful this year. Jackson is great at keeping plays alive, and although he is still thought of as a runner, his passing was good enough last year. His connection with Flowers was obvious last season. Andrews is a reliable option for him, and one of his favorite targets. Henry is older, but he is still a bruising back and can be used in short-yardage situations to avoid potential injuries to Jackson. Knowing that you'd rather tempt Jackson to beat you with his arm, I wonder how many teams will stack the box with both Jackson and Henry behind their line. Baltimore's defense usually provides a good enough game. They are well-coached and find ways to neutralize most opponents. In their three losses last season, the only one that stood out to me is the one against Cleveland where they allowed 33 points - most in any game. The loss to the Chiefs in the playoffs was just 17-10, so not one that was a high scoring shootout. 

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 05: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs is introduced before the game against the New England Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium on October 05, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Chiefs are looking to march toward a third consecutive Super Bowl. A lot has been written about the accomplishments of Andy Ried and Patrick Mahomes, but consider that they have three Super Bowl wins and four appearances in six seasons is remarkable. They've been to six consecutive conference final games and arguably could've won all six of them. Mahomes ended last year with 4,183 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. This would be most people's best year, and it was arguably his worst season. The team led the league in dropped passes last season and still found a way to do everything they did. Travis Kelce was brought up constantly with his relationship with Taylor Swift, and while it felt like a down year, it was pretty close to his average. Outside of that, Mahomes developed a relationship with Rashee Rice and now has Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy to use as field stretchers, and, hopefully, more reliable pass catchers. The defense has Chris Jones but did lose one of their top cornerbacks so the defense could struggle in the passing game. 

This should be a great game to kick off the season. The Lions came into Arrowhead last season and took the Chiefs in the opener. I could see the Ravens getting their revenge here and I think taking them with the points is probably the best look here. I also think the defenses will probably be better and more prepared in this game than last season. The under and the points would be my leans. Officially, I am playing a player prop to start the season. I think Derrick Henry will find the end zone and I will play him to score a touchdown at -120. I also think he scores the first touchdown at +600. Without Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Isiah Pacheco will probably score a touchdown as well. 

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