Thursday night marks the return of the National Football League, with a blockbuster AFC game from Kansas City.

Within Arrowhead Stadium, the Kansas City Chiefs will compete against the Baltimore Ravens in the first game of their quest to complete a three-peat.

It should come as no surprise that Kansas City is a three-point odds-on favorite to start the season at home. In the majority of the games that the Chiefs play in 2024, they will be the favorites to win.

Most of the recent matches between the regular contenders in the American Football Conference resulted in a significant number of points. In each of their most recent five head-to-head contests, each club scored at least 20 points in four of those contests.

Another high-scoring game might result in some massive player prop cashes from Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and other stars who have frequent connections with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. These players regularly interact with Mahomes and Jackson.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Kansas City is spread (-3)

47 Over/Under

Money Line: Baltimore (+130; wager $100 to win $130); Kansas City (-155; wager $155 to win $100).

Since 2018, Kansas City has defeated Baltimore four times in their previous five matches.

There is a good chance that the over will be reached in the first NFL game of the season since four of those games went over the 47-point threshold.

Both teams had outstanding records against the spread a year before. Baltimore finished 12-7, while Kansas City finished 13-7-1.

Last season, both clubs hit more underdogs. 8-10-1 to the over for the Ravens. Kansas City, however, was 7–14 over.

Zay Flowers 52.5 Receiving Yards and Up

In the AFC Championship Game, Zay Flowers ended his rookie season against Kansas City with five catches for 115 yards.

For those wagering on the player prop market on Thursday, it’s important to take notice of Flowers’ performance against the Kansas City secondary.

Throughout the 2023 season, Flowers established himself as Lamar Jackson’s top wide receiver, and in 2024, he should be given even more responsibilities.

Nine times during the regular season and in the AFC Championship Game, he exceeded 52.5 receiving yards.

Derrick Henry 63.5 Rushing Yards Over/Under

The way Derrick Henry fits into the Baltimore offense will be closely watched.

Jackson and Henry will split some of the rushing splits, but Henry will be the starting tailback.

With the Tennessee Titans, Henry has had a mixed bag of outcomes in his previous openers. He’s opened with six straight games averaging 71.5 yards. He only ran for 100 yards once, and he had two games when he did not get more than 60 yards.

Given that Henry has three career 100-yard games versus the Chiefs, it could be worthwhile to investigate his running yard prop in light of his prior success.

Travis Kelce’s Receiving Yardage Over/Under 57.5

When it comes to Kansas City’s pass-catchers, Travis Kelce is always the first player you should consider.

By the conclusion of the regular season, the always-dependable tight end might have a receiving-yard prop that is on the low end of what it could be.

In three of the past four Chiefs openers he participated in, Kelce went over 70 yards. In each of his four regular-season games versus the Ravens, he has at least 70 receiving yards.

Furthermore. In the previous season’s AFC Championship Game victory against Baltimore, Kelce had 11 receptions for 116 yards.

Isiah Pacheco 59.5 Rushing Yards Over/Under

Figuring out the remainder of the Kansas City offense is a little trickier.

Isiah Pacheco could have some challenges while facing the Baltimore front seven.

In the AFC Championship Game, Pacheco found it difficult to gain yardage. His 68 yards on 24 carries works out to 2.83 yards per attempt.

It’s a little riskier to play the over on Pacheco’s running-yard prop since he had eight instances in the 2023 regular season when he gained more than 60 rushing yards.

Samaje Perine’s presence in the backfield may limit Pacheco’s playing opportunities, but it is unlikely to limit his running attempts. Perine will probably take up more of Jerick McKinnon’s pass-catching duties from the last few campaigns.

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