It's not surprising that the Ravens are 10 1/2 -point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs, the largest point spread in their favor for a season opener in the team's 14-year history.
Fresh off a 2-14 season, the Chiefs have endured a rocky summer, firing their offensive coordinator a week ago and watching starting quarterback Matt Cassel injure his left knee Aug. 29.
The Ravens, meanwhile, have rolled through a perfect preseason and appear ready to take that next step - to the Super Bowl.
"This is the year where we have all the pieces," wide receiver Derrick Mason said Monday. "This is the year where we have a great opportunity to not just make it but win it."
If Ravens coaches, who return 18 of 22 starters from a team that made the AFC championship game, have any concern that the team might suffer a letdown, all they have to do is point to last season's opener.
With a new coach and quarterback, the Ravens delivered the major upset of the Cincinnati Bengals, who were 11 1/2 -point favorites.
Asked whether he was concerned that the players would constantly hear about the Chiefs' turmoil, coach John Harbaugh said: "Not for one second. Our guys know they face a huge challenge this weekend against a team that is going to come in here and prove themselves just like our team did in the opener. We have a lot of respect for the Kansas City Chiefs. We know what we're up against. We're looking forward to it."
Harbaugh explained that part of the Ravens' early success was the element of surprise. Teams didn't know what to expect from a first-time head coach and a quarterback in a new system.
Now, Harbaugh is experiencing a role reversal.
"We don't know what they're going to do, and their coach made that pretty clear that's something they're going to use to their full advantage," Harbaugh said. "It's going to be a guessing game as far as what they're going to run and who they're going to put on the field. We're going to do the best we can with that."
The biggest question mark is the Chiefs' quarterback situation. Cassel wore a brace on his injured left knee during Monday's practice and appears questionable for the season opener at the Ravens. It was the first time Cassel has practiced since hurting his knee in the third preseason game.
Chiefs coach Todd Haley was evasive with Kansas City reporters about whether Cassel would play against the Ravens, saying it was a positive sign that the quarterback practiced.
