Chiefs to open Super Bowl defense vs. Ravens

The Kansas City Chiefs will open their attempt at a three-peat when they host the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL’s annual prime-time season opener, the league announced Monday.

The matchup, to be played Thursday, Sept. 5, at Arrowhead Stadium, is a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, which the Chiefs won 17-10 before defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. The game will be televised by NBC.

Another Week 1 game was announced later Monday as the Dallas Cowboys will visit the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 4:25 p.m. ET. The game will be televised by Fox and mark Tom Brady’s broadcasting debut for the network.

The season opener between the Chiefs and Ravens features two of the game’s top quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, the Super Bowl MVP the past two years, and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Mahomes has dominated the matchup against Jackson, going 4-1 against him, including the postseason.

The last time Baltimore played in Kansas City was 2019, when the Chiefs won 33-28. The Ravens haven’t won at Arrowhead since 2012.

Following the game announcement, sportsbooks released the point spread and total. The Chiefs opened as a 2.5-point favorite at ESPN BET with an over/under of 47.5.

The Chiefs are playing in the Thursday night opener at Arrowhead for the third time in five seasons. They defeated the Houston Texans in 2020 and lost to the Detroit Lions in 2023. They are 2-1 in the NFL Kickoff Game since it was introduced in 2002.

The Ravens lost their only previous Kickoff Game appearance when they were beaten by the Denver Broncos on the road to start the 2013 season. The Ravens couldn’t host the game that season because of a scheduling conflict with the Orioles, who play at an adjacent stadium.

The full NFL regular-season schedule will be released Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. A two-hour special will air on ESPN2 and be simulcast on ESPN+.

ESPN’s Jamison Hensley contributed to this report.