The last time the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs met on a football field, the Ravens were busy lowering the boom on the way to a 30-7 victory in the Wild Card round of the 2010-11 NFL Playoffs. Their next meeting will come on Friday in Week 2 of the 2011 NFL preseason, with juuuust a bit less at stake.
Not that there aren't already enough ways to demean the preseason.
Both teams are gearing up for big seasons once again, the Chiefs seeking back-to-back playoff appearances under Todd Haley and the Ravens hoping to find a comfortable perch atop the NFL now that John Harbaugh has guided his team to four postseason victories in three years.
How To Watch
There will be no shortage of options for Chiefs and Ravens fans to watch, listen to and enjoy their favorite teams run out their beloved third- and fourth-stringers in the second quarter.
For folks in the Kansas City area who want to watch on TV, the game will be broadcast live on KCTV5 at 6:30 p.m. CDT. If you're in transit at that hour, tune your radio dial to KCFX-FM 101.1 or, if satellite radio is your preference, Sirius Channel 138.
Football fans in the Beltway can catch all the action on TV on WBAL-TV, WJLA-TV and WHTM-TV or on radio via 98 Rock and WBAL-1090 AM starting at 7:30 p.m. ET. Of course, if you're in the area, you could always drop by M&T Bank Stadium and catch the game if you don't mind forking over a few extra bucks.
If you're stuck at work or you simply prefer watching NFL preseason football from the comfort of your computer screen, be sure to mosey on over to NFL.com to sign up for NFL Preseason Live. For $14.99, you'll have access to every game, including Chiefs vs. Ravens, both live and on demand. With this package, you can watch any game, any time, anywhere in HD with enhanced viewing options to boot.
Now, if you don't live in either Kansas City or Baltimore and you don't feel like shelling out extra dough to stream football to your laptop, you can catch a replay of the game on the NFL Network on Friday starting at 11:00 p.m. ET.
What to Watch For
Once you've figured how to watch the game, you may want to know what to watch for, seeing as how the outcome won't really mean anything.
Both teams sport plenty of high-impact newcomers via free agency and the 2011 NFL draft. The Chiefs offense, productive as it was in 2010 (especially on the ground), should be even better in 2011.
Quarterback Matt Cassel will have two brand-new targets to work with in free agent wideout Steve Breaston and enigmatic but talented draftee Jonathan Baldwin out of Pittsburgh. The NFL's best rushing attack will be even better, as well, with Pro Bowl fullback Le'Ron McClain in to clear the way for Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones. The entire offense also figures to benefit tremendously from the addition of mammoth left tackle Jared Gaither.
Both Gaither and McClain were members of the Ravens team that put the Chiefs to shame in the playoffs. So too were veterans Derrick Mason and Todd Heap, whom Baltimore cut at the start of camp to clear room under the salary cup.
The Ravens replaced Mason with receiver Lee Evans and added depth at tight end with Jonathan Stupar, both formerly of the Buffalo Bills. All eyes, however, will be on Jimmy Smith, the Ravens' first choice in the 2011 NFL draft, to see if he can steal some thunder from Domonique Foxworth for a starting spot in the team's defensive backfield.
Smith spent most of the first two weeks of camp recovering from a groin injury but should see a significant increase in his reps now that he's back to full strength.
All told, there is no shortage of means and reasons to catch Chiefs-Ravens on Friday night. The only question is, are you ready for some (meaningless preseason) football?
