The Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens play in Week 4 of the NFL in what can be defined as a must-win for both teams. Poised to be contenders but with a losing record, John Harbaugh is trying to righten the ship, but Lamar Jackson might need to put even more points to win games as a key defensive player is headed to injury reserve.
Reported by various outlets, the Ravens are placing defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike on the IR list, meaning that he will miss at least the next four games, if not more.
His neck injury appears to be more and more serious. The Ravens missed him in Week 3 as the Detroit Lions ran with ease in Madubuike’s abscence. Baltimore will now need to improvise but their defense has been bad, and without Madubuike, the unit will suffer for weeks to come.
Madubuike was key on run and pass defense
Standing at 6-feet-3-inches tall and 305 lbs, Madubuike was a presence that teams couldn’t ignore. The two-time Pro Bowler had two sacks in two weeks already this season and had 19.5 combined sacks in the previous two seasons.
Madubuike was also a run stopper as he has great play recognition and excels at block shedding. He would force opponents to run outside zones, hence making them predictable, or abandon the running game.
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Ravens vs Chiefs is must win for both
Not many had the Ravens and Chiefs starting the season 1-2 and at risk of falling to 1-3. Given the divisions in which both franchises play, it would be an absolute travesty for the losing team and the mountain to climb would increase in height.
As for the Ravens, at least they will know the Steelers’ result, as they play in Dublin earlier. If the Steelers lose, a win could put the Ravens back on track to gain the lead in the AFC North. As for the Chiefs, the Chargers are 3-0 so a loss could put an uphill scenery for them to win the AFC West. However, if they win and the Chargers lose, even if they have the tiebreaker against them, there is still a possibility to win the division without the need of any epicity.
