KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes thought for a moment that the Chiefs were going to additional time. So did Ravens opponent Lamar Jackson, who found Isaiah Likely at the back of the top zone with no time left to attain a touchdown that may have seemingly tied the sport.
In the top, the opening game of the NFL season on Thursday night was decided by referee Shawn Hochuli based on a video review.
With a sold-out house, the including pop superstar Taylor Swift Hochuli waited anxiously and only needed a number of seconds to observe the last game before making his announcement: He probably landed along with his toe on the top linethat sent Baltimore's tight end out of bounds and gave the Chiefs a 27-20 victory that put them on the hunt for his or her third consecutive Super Bowl title.
“Definitely nerve-wracking because it looked good from my vantage point on the sideline,” Mahomes said, “but then you could see his cleats at first glance. … Next time you have to wear white cleats. That's my advice to him.”
Mahomes threw a 291-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy, who also scored a rushing TD in his NFL debut, to assist the Chiefs not only win a rematch of last season's AFC title game, but beat the Ravens for the fifth time in six meetings.
This crooked ledger was particularly frustrating for Jackson, who has called Kansas City the “Kryptonite” of the Ravens. He was outstanding on Thursday night, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 122 yards on the bottom, but evaluation of the last game left him rueing one other missed opportunity to finally outshine Mahomes and Co.
“I thought it was a touchdown,” Jackson said. “Still think it was a touchdown.”
The Ravens trailed 27-17 within the fourth quarter before kicking a field goal. Then they got the ball back at their very own 13-yard line with 1:50 left and no timeouts. Jackson threw a few passes to Likely, who gained 111 yards and a touchdown, and fought his technique to a vital first down. Two plays later, Jackson found Rashod Bateman down the sideline for 38 yards, bringing the Ravens to the Kansas City 10-yard line with 19 seconds left.
Jackson's first pass was a miss, but his second missed a totally open Zay Flowers at the back of the top zone. Then got here the ultimate throw, after Jackson had struggled for what gave the look of an eternity, and it looked like Likely had forced additional time.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh even gave his team the signal to aim a game-winning 2-point conversion, nevertheless it never happened.
“I think our guys overcame setbacks at times and fought like crazy to overcome them. It looked like we had a chance to tie the game and try to win,” Harbaugh said. “That didn't end up happening, but our guys fought.”
The wild ending got here after the beginning was delayed by about 20 minutes on account of a storm with heavy rain and lightning.
The Ravens opened the sport with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended with Derrick Henry, who had pressured the Chiefs in six previous meetings when he was still at Tennessee, charging into the top zone from 5 yards out for the early lead.
But the highly motivated Chiefs, trying to avoid back-to-back season-opening losses, needed just two minutes to reply. Mahomes scored twice against Rashee Rice, who has yet to flee an NFL penalty for his role in an alleged street racing accident in Dallas, before Worthy showed why the Chiefs made him their first-round pick along with his 21-yard touchdown run.
After these two drives, nevertheless, the primary half was mainly characterised by the mistakes of the primary week.
Jackson was sacked by Chris Jones deep in his own territory, resulting in a field goal for Kansas City. Flowers was stopped in need of the first-down marker on the Ravens' next series on fourth-and-3 near the midfield line, leading to a different field goal. And even Justin Tucker, certainly one of the league's most accurate kickers, sank a 53-yard field goal attempt wide left.
The Chiefs weren't resistant to mistakes either. Mahomes' pass was intercepted by Roquan Smith on a foul throw late in the primary half, resulting in a chip-shot field goal that put Baltimore — which trailed at halftime twice all of last season — up 13-10 on the break.
But the Ravens' inability to get into the top zone and gain momentum ultimately proved costly.
The Chiefs opened the second half with an 81-yard touchdown march to increase their lead. Then, after Jackson connected with Likely on a broken play for a 49-yard touchdown throw, Mahomes drove them 70 yards against the NFL's best scoring defense last season for a touchdown that made it 27-17 with 10 minutes left.
Tucker tied the sport at one with a field goal with 4:54 left and Baltimore quickly forced a punt. But despite Jackson's passionate play, he was forced off the sector after one other disappointing loss to the Chiefs.
“It was a fight to the end,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “If they say it's a game of inches, then it could be shorter.”
Star-studded audience
Swift, the girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, wasn't the one star to attend NFL opening night. Quincy Hall, an Olympic gold medalist within the 400-meter dash, was in the group, as was AC Milan midfielder Christian Pulisic, who will join his U.S. teammates for a friendly against Canada at nearby Children's Mercy Park on Saturday night.
Injuries
Baltimore: LB Kyle Van Noy left the sector after six plays within the second half on account of an eye fixed injury and didn’t return.
Next
Ravens: Host in Las Vegas on Sunday, September fifteenth.
Chiefs: Host Cincinnati on Sunday, September 15.
Originally published:
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