The Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night for their long-awaited rematch to kick off the 2024 season. The last time these two teams met, the Chiefs defeated the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship to advance to the Super Bowl. The over/under is 46.5 points, while the Chiefs are favored by three.
The Chiefs will attempt to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls in NFL history. It will be interesting to see if the offense or defense will carry the team in 2024. The offense carried the team in 2022, while the defense did in 2023.
The offense will not have their running back for the time being.
The Kansas City Cheifs running back has been dealing with PTSD
Clyde Edwards-Helaire has missed a significant amount of time during training and two preseason games because of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Edwards-Helaire opened up about his battle with PTSD, stemming from losing friends at a young age to gun violence and an incident in 2018 when he and an LSU teammate were selling electronics off campus when a man pulled a gun on them and attempted to rob them. One of the players then shot and killed the man in self-defense.
“December 22, 2018, my best friend and I got into a self-defense situation, and I will say that’s probably where the majority of things stem from, but I wouldn’t necessarily say everything stems from that,” Edwards-Helaire began. “I have best friends that passed away [at] young ages from gun violence and just not being at the right places at the right time. … When I go back home, I’m visiting some of my friends at grave sites.”
Edwards-Helaire encourages those who battle with PTSD to seek help.
“With that happening at such a young age, my first couple years, you just try to block everything out, like, ‘At some point, I’m going to get over it,’ and you start to realize that just doesn’t happen,” Edwards-Helaire said. “You get older and you realize, no matter the age, no matter the person, no matter the situation, everyone needs help at some point. And it’s just being able to step up and know, this is the help I need, or this is what I need to ask for. … I’ll say now, I’m probably the most level-headed and clear that I’ve probably been within the last five or six years.”
Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss at least the first four games
According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, the Chiefs placed Edwards-Helaire on the reserve/non-football illness (NFI) list. He will miss at least the first four games of 2024. This transaction leaves the team thin at running back.
A look at the Kansas City Chiefs running back room
The Chiefs have three running backs/fullbacks on their roster now that Edwards-Helaire is out for the start of the season. Isiah Pacheco, their talented running back, will start and looks to carry the workload. Samaje Perine, who they recently signed from the Broncos, is expected to play in Week 1. Finally, Carson Steele, their fullback who impressed during the preseason, is their next man up as the third-stringer.
