The Baltimore Ravens were the best team in the NFL last season, and they are one of the few teams that could, on paper, compete with the Kansas City Chiefs.
If this matchup were to happen again in the AFC Championship Game, no one should complain.
An exciting first game of the NFL regular season took place on Thursday night. The Ravens had a chance to win late. Lamar Jackson looked leaner and faster and played like his usual self. He rushed for his 14th 100 yards, a record for a quarterback. He put the Ravens in touchdown position late in a game they were losing 27-20. But the Chiefs pulled off a big win and it couldn’t have been closer.
Jackson missed Zay Flowers, who was completely free in the end zone with five seconds left. On the final play, Jackson scrambled and appeared to score a touchdown to tight end Isaiah Likely as time expired, but Likely’s toe barely touched the backline and replay ruled it an incompletion. The Chiefs held on.
The Chiefs made lightning-fast receiver Xavier Worthy an intriguing first-round draft choice, and he quickly delivered with two touchdowns. He scored on an end-around on his first NFL touch and then scored a key touchdown in a close fourth quarter. He was exactly what coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes needed: a game-changing rookie receiver who was faster than anyone on the field.
The Chiefs were on a roll Thursday night. The Ravens gave them a tough fight. Maybe we’ll see them again in January. Thursday night was as close as it gets.
The Ravens will battle the Chiefs to the end
Both teams’ offenses got off to a strong start. Derrick Henry finished his first drive for the Ravens with a 5-yard touchdown run. The Chiefs responded on their first possession with a 21-yard end-around touchdown run to Worthy, who ran through the defense and scored on his first NFL touch.
The defense then dominated the second half. There were no touchdowns in the first half. Jackson forced a fumble in Chiefs territory, but the Ravens held Kansas City to a field goal. Mahomes forced an interception near midfield late in the first half, but the Chiefs held Baltimore to a field goal. The Chiefs ended the half trailing 13-10.
The Chiefs’ defense held up well in the second half. Baltimore’s offensive line, which replaced three starters from last season, struggled to block the Chiefs’ attack. That’s why Jackson was constantly throwing short passes, especially to Flowers. Jackson completed a lot of passes, but not for many yards.
The Ravens finally got the big play they needed: Jackson found Likely at the back of the field, who weaved through defenders for a 49-yard score that cut the Chiefs’ lead to 20-17. The game wasn’t over yet, especially with Jackson on the Ravens’ side of the field.
But the Chiefs extended their lead with another big play from their exciting new rookie.
Xavier Worthy makes a big impact
Worthy struck again, this time out of coverage. He got behind the defense and Mahomes passed to him for a 35-yard touchdown just after Likely’s touchdown.
The Chiefs struggled at receiver last season but still won the Super Bowl. Kansas City played Thursday night without injured forward Marquise Brown, but the combination of Rushe Rice, Worthy and Brown could be devastating all season long.
The Ravens were one of the best teams in the NFL and were still going strong after Worthy’s second touchdown. The Ravens scored a field goal, then got stopped and the Chiefs had to punt at the two-minute warning. With 1:50 left and a timeout and trailing 27-20, Jackson caught a pass from his own 13-yard line. Jackson completed a 38-yard pass to Rashaud Bateman to get to the 10-yard line with under 20 seconds left. Jackson overthrew Likely in the end zone and appeared to miss Flowers on second down. After the game, he said the pass was actually intended for Bateman. Either way, he’ll regret the play.
The pass to Likely looked like a touchdown and the Ravens were poised to go for the two-point conversion and the win, but replay showed Likely was just out of the gate, giving the Chiefs a breather.
