Ravens vs. Chiefs: How Will Batimore's Offense Fare Against KC's Defense?

The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs will battle this weekend in the AFC Wildcard playoffs and many questions have begun to surround both teams.

One major question mark lies with Baltimore's offense.

Can Joe Flacco and the Ravens rebound against a young Kansas City defense on the road?

The answer to this question remains to be seen, but it would seem that the Ravens have the tools to make it work at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.

RB Ray Rice is one of the more physical backs in the league, as he had over 1,200 rushing yards in the regular season and could present problems for a Chiefs defense that has struggled against the run at times this season.

Veteran receivers Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason will help young QB Joe Flacco to stretch the field and if they can get their running game going, it could be a long day for the Chiefs defense.

The Chiefs counter with one of the youngest and most talented defenses in the league, as they have five former first-round draft picks on that side of the ball.

Linebacker Tamba Hali has led the league in pressures the last two seasons and could give the Ravens' offensive line fits with his great combination of speed and strength at his position.

Rookie safety Eric Berry just won NFL defensive rookie of the month and is only getting better with each week.

Baltimore is more likely to run more against the Chiefs, as the Ravens passing game isn't as strong and Flacco has only thrown for 227 combined passing yards in their last two games.

The Ravens will also have to look out for another defender: The Arrowhead fans.

The Arrowhead crowd got Chargers' Pro-Bowl QB Phillip Rivers to throw a fit after getting multiple false starts and delay of game penalties in Week 1 of the 2010 regular season.

This is something to watch for as many teams have came in to Arrowhead being over confident and it showed on the field come game day.

Overall, I would give the advantage to the Chiefs in this match-up, as I believe that their defense will step it up a few notches against the struggling Ravens offense, and they will have help from the 12th man or their own home-field.