Patrick Mahomes thought the game might go to overtime, and so did Lamar Jackson, who had found Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone with no time left, seeming to score a touchdown that would tie the game.
However, the NFL season opener on Thursday night was ultimately decided by referee Shawn Hochuli reviewing the play on video.
With a packed crowd, including pop star Taylor Swift, watching closely, Hochuli took just a few seconds to review the final play before announcing his decision: Likely’s toe was on the end line, which meant he was out of bounds.
This gave the Chiefs a 27-20 win as they started their quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl title.
“Definitely nerve-wracking because it looked good from my angle on the sideline,” Mahomes said. “But then the first view you could see his cleat. … You have to wear white cleats next time. That’s my advice for him.”
Mahomes threw for 291 yards and connected on a touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy, who also scored a rushing touchdown in his NFL debut.
This win allowed the Chiefs to not only avenge their loss in last season’s AFC title game but also to beat the Ravens for the fifth time in their last six meetings.
This record has been especially frustrating for Jackson, who has called the Chiefs the Ravens’ “kryptonite.”
Jackson played exceptionally well on Thursday, passing for 273 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for 122 yards. But the review of the final play left him disappointed, as it was another missed chance to finally overcome Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“I thought it was a touchdown,” Jackson said. “Still think it was a touchdown.”
The Ravens were down 27-17 in the fourth quarter before kicking a field goal. They then got the ball back at their own 13-yard line with 1:50 left and no timeouts. Jackson completed a few passes to Likely, who had 111 receiving yards and a touchdown, and made a crucial scramble for a first down.
A couple of plays later, Jackson found Rashod Bateman down the sideline for a 38-yard gain, putting the Ravens at the Kansas City 10-yard line with 19 seconds left.
Jackson’s first pass was thrown away, and his second one missed a wide-open Zay Flowers in the back of the end zone. Then came the final pass, after Jackson had scrambled for what felt like a long time, and it looked like Likely had managed to tie the game.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh even signaled for a 2-point conversion attempt that could have won the game, but the chance never came.
“I thought our guys (overcame) setbacks at times, and fought like crazy to overcome. It looked like we had an opportunity there to tie the game up and try to win,” Harbaugh said. “Didn’t happen at the end, but our guys fought.”
The dramatic finish followed a 20-minute delay at the start of the game due to a storm that brought heavy rain and lightning.
The Ravens began the game with an 11-play, 70-yard drive, ending with Derrick Henry, who had troubled the Chiefs in previous games with Tennessee, scoring a 5-yard touchdown for an early lead.
But the Chiefs, eager to avoid losing their second consecutive season opener, responded quickly. Mahomes connected twice with Rashee Rice, who has avoided any NFL punishment related to an alleged street-racing incident in Dallas. Worthy then demonstrated why he was the Chiefs’ first-round pick with a 21-yard touchdown run.
After those initial drives, the first half was marked by mistakes. Jackson was sacked and had the ball stripped by Chris Jones deep in his own territory, leading to a field goal for Kansas City.
Flowers was stopped short of the first-down marker on a fourth-and-3 near midfield on the Ravens’ next drive, leading to another field goal for the Chiefs. Even Justin Tucker, known for his accuracy, missed a 53-yard field goal attempt.
The Chiefs also made mistakes. Mahomes threw an interception to Roquan Smith on a bad pass late in the first half, leading to a short field goal that brought Baltimore to within 13-10 at halftime.
The Ravens, who had trailed at halftime only twice all of last season, struggled to turn the momentum in their favor.
In the second half, the Chiefs quickly scored on an 81-yard drive to extend their lead.
After Jackson connected with Likely for a 49-yard touchdown on a broken play, Mahomes responded by leading the Chiefs on a 70-yard drive against the top scoring defense from last season, which resulted in a touchdown that made it 27-17 with 10 minutes left.
Tucker narrowed the gap with a field goal with 4:54 remaining, and the Ravens forced a quick punt. Despite Jackson’s passionate efforts, he had to leave the field after another tough loss to the Chiefs.
“It was a fight down to the end,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “When they say it’s a game of inches, might be shorter than that.”
