Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson found tight end Isaiah Likely at the back of the end zone for a potential game-tying touchdown. Unfortunately, upon further review, Likely was out of bounds by a toe, allowing the Kansas City Chiefs to escape with a 27-20 victory during the 2024 NFL season opener.
After a tightly fought first half that ended with the Chiefs leading by three, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions extended their lead to ten courtesy of a one-yard Isiah Pacheco touchdown run. Baltimore could not overhaul this lead, as what could have been Likely’s second touchdown catch didn’t count.
WON AND 0‼️ pic.twitter.com/nZK545T18C
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 6, 2024
The victory puts the Chiefs on a good start in their quest to become the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles. The win also erases their 2023 season-opener defeat to the Detroit Lions. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes improves his head-to-head record against Lamar Jackson to 4-1.
While the Ravens had more total yards (452) and held the ball longer (33:43), the Chiefs made the most of their opportunities to go 1-0. Kansas City had more passing yards (281) than Baltimore (267) and gained more yards per play (7.1) than the Ravens (6.1). Likewise, the Chiefs had a better red-zone percentage (33) than their 2023 AFC Championship Game opponents (25 percent).
After the season-opening win, the Chiefs will remain at Arrowhead for their Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Conversely, the Ravens will have their home opener versus the Las Vegas Raiders ten days after losing to Kansas City.
-Lance Fernandez