The question on most Kansas City Chiefs fans minds is will Matt Cassel be in the lineup when the Chiefs open the season Sunday in Baltimore against the Ravens? This much we know. Cassel was suited up for practice on Monday with a brace on his injured left knee. The Chiefs had no practice on Tuesday, so they have three more workouts before traveling to Baltimore.
Coach Todd Haley said after practice that he was happy to have Cassel back on the field, but wasn’t making any predictions regarding his availability for Sunday. He basically said Cassel will have to go through a full practice on Friday to be under center in the opener.
If he can’t go, it would appear Brodie Croyle will start in his place as he did in the final exhibition game against St.Louis. Probably half of Kansas City wants Cassel to play, the other half would prefer he stay on the sidelines and not risk getting injured worse against the Ravens aggressive defense.
Given the play of the offensive line in the exhibition season, Haley himself may have huge reservations about playing Cassel this weekend even if he’s healthy, but you’d think he’ll play Sunday if he’s suited up on Monday. Still, the Ravens defense gave up an average of just 10 points a game at home last season, so scoring prospects aren’t good no matter who’s under center or calling the plays.
Meanwhile, if the Chiefs are to have any chance at all against the Ravens, they’ll have to put together a stellar defensive performance, one similar to last season’s opener against the Patriots. Baltimore’s not as explosive an offensive team, but Ravens QB Joe Flacco guided his team to the playoffs as a rookie last season by being steady and not making mistakes. It will be a good test for the defense to see if they can cause havoc and force turnovers, but a win....that would be asking a lot.
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