Ravens-Chiefs Pregame Notes
BALTIMORE — Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley will not play against the Kansas City Chiefs in their Sunday night showdown.
Stanley is dealing with an ankle injury.
With Stanley inactive, Alejandro Villanueva is expected to start at left tackle, with Patrick Mekari taking over at right tackle.
Cornerback Jimmy Smith also will not play, which sets up a challenging matchup for Baltimore's secondary with tight end Travis Kelce. Smith has been battling an ankle injury since early in training camp.
In addition to Stanley and Smith (ankle), the Ravens other inactive players are defensive end Derek Wolfe (back/hip), rookie outside linebacker Daelin Hayes and defensive tackle Broderick Washington.
Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown entered the day questionable with an ankle injury but was running routes in pre-game warmups and did not appear to be hampered. Brown did have his left ankle taped but will play in the game
Cornerback Marlon Humphrey also entered the game questionable but will also play.
The Chiefs inactive players are cornerback DeAndre Baker, defensive end Joshua Kaindoh, offensive lineman Austin Blythe, guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and wide receiver Daurice Fountain.
The Ravens are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since the 2015 season and snap a four-game losing stray to the Chiefs.
Prime-Time Success
Upset?
The Ravens rank as the NFL's best team when it comes to prime-time games under John Harbaugh, who became coach in 2008.
The top teams are:
1. Ravens 15-2 (.882); 2. Seahawks 22-3 (.880) 3. Patriots 22-5 (.815)
However, the Chiefs have won 11 consecutive road games, which is tied for the fourth-best mark in NFL history. Kansas City is favored by 3.5 points.
Injuries Mount
The Ravens have a league-high 15 players on the IR.
That list consists of:
Wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Miles Boykin; cornerbacks Marcus Peters, Iman Marshall, Khalil Dorsey and Chris Westry; running backs J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill and Gus Edwards; tight end Nick Boyle; offensive lineman Tyre Phillips; linebackers L.J. Fort and Otaro Alaka; defensive tackles Xavier Kelly and Aaron Crawford
