The
Nose tackle
"As a D-line, we looked at it, and whoever lines up in front of him has to win that one-on-one matchup, and that's what we're going to do," Cody said.
Kansas City coach
"You had no issues with the quarterback-center exchange, shotgun snaps and all of those things, which when you have a new center, that's one of the main concerns," Crennel said Wednesday during his conference call with Baltimore reporters. "But he handled it very well. He is a pro. He is a competitor."
Ravens nose tackle Ma’ake Kemoeatu said he and his teammates would be wise not to overlook Lilja, who spent six seasons being directed by former
"Obviously, they have a lot of trust in him to move him to center and have him start," Kemoeatu said. "He's a veteran player, so we're not going to take him lightly. But we're looking forward to a good matchup with him. It's hard to play against them. They have a good running game and they put up a lot of positive numbers on offense. So it'll be good."
With Lilja moving to center, Kansas City inserted rookie
“The Ravens are probably one of the savviest defenses in the league,” O’Hara said. “It starts with their veteran leadership in [inside linebacker]
Kemoeatu, however, took the cautious approach again and said the defense will plan as if the Chiefs have prepared for whatever the Ravens throw at them.
"You never underestimate whether they're a rookie or a veteran," he said. "We will go in there and try to challenge them and see how they'll take the pressure of starting in the National Football League."