NEW YORK (AP) — The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will open the regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 5 in a rematch of the AFC title game, the NFL announced Monday.
The NFL will release the entire 2024 season schedule on Wednesday night on the NFL Network.
The Chiefs beat the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC championship game in January and went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs-Ravens opener at Arrowhead Stadium will be a Thursday night game on NBC. The Chiefs are favored by three points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will be going for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title and fourth in six years this season. Mahomes is 4-1 in his career against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.
Kansas City will begin the season at home for the second straight year and is 9-2 in openers under Andy Reid. The Chiefs lost 21-20 to Detroit in their 2023 opener.
In addition to Mahomes, the Chiefs bring back star tight end Travis Kelce, who agreed to a $34.5 million, two-year contract extension last month, and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who signed a five-year, $158.75 million deal in March.
Led by Jackson, the two-time MVP, Baltimore had the best record in the NFL last season and was the top seed for the AFC playoffs. The Ravens beat the Houston Texans 34-10 in the divisional round before undisciplined play and a couple interceptions by Jackson doomed them against the Chiefs.
The Ravens will have a different look when the teams meet in the opener. Derrick Henry, the second-leading rusher in the league for Tennessee last season, signed with the Ravens in March and gives the team a pounding running back to complement the elusive Jackson. Ravens running backs had just six carries in the AFC title game.