The Baltimore Ravens were the NFL’s best team last regular season. They’re one of the few teams that, theoretically, can compete with the Kansas City Chiefs.
If we get this matchup in the AFC championship game again, nobody should complain.
Thursday night gave us an exciting first game of the NFL regular season. The Ravens had a chance to win it late. Lamar Jackson, looking thinner and faster, made plays as usual. He had 100 rushing yards for the 14th time, which is a record for a quarterback. He got the Ravens into position for a touchdown late in the game, trailing 27-20. But the Chiefs held on for a huge win, and it was as close as could be.
Jackson missed a wide-open Zay Flowers in the end zone with five seconds left. On the final play, Jackson scrambled and seemed to hit tight end Isaiah Likely for a touchdown as time expired. But Likely’s toe was barely on the back line and it was ruled incomplete after a replay review. The Chiefs escaped.
The Chiefs made an interesting first-round draft pick in lightning fast receiver Xavier Worthy, and he paid off right away with two touchdowns. He scored on an end-around on his first NFL touch, and then scored a key touchdown in the fourth quarter when the game got close. Just what head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes needed: a game-breaking rookie receiver who is faster than everyone else on the field.
The Chiefs looked good on Thursday night. The Ravens gave them a tough challenge. Maybe we’ll see them play again in January. It couldn’t have been closer on Thursday night.
Ravens battle Chiefs until the end
Both offenses started well. Derrick Henry finished his first drive with the Ravens by scoring a 5-yard touchdown. The Chiefs answered on their first possession with a 21-yard end-around touchdown to Worthy. It was Worthy’s first touch in the NFL and he zoomed by the defense for a score.
Then the defenses took over for the rest of the half. There were no more touchdowns in the first half. Jackson lost a fumble in Chiefs territory but the Ravens held Kansas City to a field goal. Mahomes threw an interception near midfield late in the first half but the Chiefs held Baltimore to a field goal. The Chiefs went into halftime with a 13-10 lead.
The Chiefs’ defense kept it going into the second half. Baltimore’s offensive line, which is replacing three starters from last season, had a difficult time blocking the Chiefs’ front. That’s why Jackson was constantly throwing short, often to Flowers. Jackson completed a lot of passes but not for many yards.
The Ravens finally hit a big play they needed. Jackson found Likely downfield, and Likely weaved through defenders for a 49-yard score. That cut the Chiefs’ lead to 20-17. The game was far from over, especially with Jackson on the Ravens’ side.
But the Chiefs got another big play out of their new and exciting rookie to extend the lead.
Xavier Worthy makes a big impact
Worthy struck again. This time it was on a blown coverage. He got behind the defense and Mahomes hit him for a 35-yard touchdown, right after Likely’s touchdown.
The Chiefs struggled at receiver last season and won a Super Bowl anyway. Kansas City played on Thursday night without injured Marquise Brown, and the combination of Rashee Rice, Worthy and Brown could be devastating all season.
The Ravens are one of the NFL’s best teams and still weren’t out of it after Worthy’s second touchdown. They got a field goal, then a stop and the Chiefs had to punt at the two-minute warning. Jackson took over at his own 13, trailing 27-20 with 1:50 to go and one timeout. Jackson hit Rashod Bateman on a 38-yard catch to the 10-yard line, but the clock was running under 20 seconds. Jackson overthrew Likely in the end zone, then appeared to miss Flowers on second down. He said postgame that pass was actually targeting Bateman. Regardless, he’ll regret that play.
The pass to Likely seemed to be a touchdown and the Ravens were ready to go for the 2-point conversion and the win. But the replay showed Likely was barely out. The Chiefs could exhale.