The highly anticipated matchup between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes is finally here. The Chiefs have won 5 of the 6 games against the Ravens since 2018. But this year, times are tough for both of them. While Grim Reaper is waiting to avenge the brutal Super Bowl LIX loss, Smiley Face wants to win the Super Bowl, which has eluded him for his entire career. The pressure is building up. And it gets manifold as the injuries pile up.

While the Ravens have 4 players listed as questionable, the Chiefs also have a couple of players listed under the same category. It starts with Baltimore Ravens LB Kyle Van Noy, who has played 2 games this year, recording 4 tackles (2 solo) and 2 defended passes. He injured his hamstring and did not practice on Wednesday (September 24) and Thursday (September 25). His limited participation on Friday (September 26) did not give much hope to the Ravens.

Lamar Jackson suffered another defensive blow with NT Travis Jones (knee) ruled out of the Week 4 game. He did not practice on 24 but had limited practice on 25 and 26. He has 6 tackles (4 solo) in 3 games this year. But the Ravens will also miss their two offensive players.

While TE Isaiah Likely, with a foot injury, had a limited practice on both days before having a full session on Friday, OT Ronnie Stanley, with an ankle injury, stayed away before going in a limited capacity on the final day. The TE is yet to make his season debut, but the OT has played 98% of their offensive snaps. So, the Ravens need to make some plans now. The Chiefs, though, need to toughen up their defense.

Patrick Mahomes’ team will miss CB Kristian Fulton due to an ankle injury, who had a limited practice on all 3 days. DE Ashton Gillotte, with an elbow injury, practiced for a full session on both days before not practicing on Friday. The DE has played 3 games, finishing with 4 tackles (2 solo), while Fulton has only got 1 solo tackle in 2 games.

Overall, Smiley Face has more injured players to deal with before the week 4 battle.

Lamar Jackson suffers 3 blows

DT Nnamdi Madubuike did not practice this week because of his neck injury. That’s a major blow to the Ravens as he recorded 2 sacks and 7 tackles (5 solo) in just 2 games. They have placed him on the injured reserve (IR) list, meaning he will miss at least 4 games now. Even the HC, John Harbaugh, was concerned while getting more tests done on his defensive player.

Another player they designated on IR is their DT Broderick Washington, who injured his ankle after logging 4 tackles (1 solo) and defending 1 pass in 3 games. But with his absence, the Ravens have two empty slots on their 53-man roster now for the next 4 weeks. It becomes a lot more painful as the rivals scored 35 or more points in their 2 losses.

Another person of worry for Lamar Jackson is their FB, Patrick Ricard. He injured his calf back in August and will miss his 4th game in a row. Even this week, he did not practice on all 3 days. The absence of a 5-time Pro Bowler has hurt them on key occasions as they are at 1-2 win-loss record in the AFC North.

However, Patrick Mahomes might have a silver lining as DE Michael Danna (quad) is listed as doubtful. So, he might be back on the field against the Ravens. That would be a huge bonus as the Chiefs also try to improve on their poor start to 2025. DT Chris Jones has already spiced up this matchup by praising Lamar Jackson. He was a Bills Mafia target after praising Smiley Face before saying he should have won the 2024 MVP.

For the Chiefs Kingdom, this game might be the fuel they need to start a whirlwind campaign.