Chiefs Survive Scare from Ravens on NFL Opening Night

The back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens by an inch on Thursday night.

While the scoreboard read Chiefs 27, Ravens 20, Isaiah Likely’s toe was the only thing separating the two teams when the clock hit zero.

On the game’s final play, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson escaped pressure and found his tight end Likely in the back of the end zone. But what looked like the game-tying score turned out to be an agonizing near-miss for Baltimore, as Likely’s right foot was narrowly out of bounds on the play.

TOUCHDOWN OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tune in on NBC! pic.twitter.com/wBV678H6yw

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 6, 2024

That moment summed up just how close the game truly was, as the two AFC giants went toe-to-toe all night long. Kansas City eventually came away with the 27-20 victory to start off the new season in style.

Baltimore’s New-Look Running Game

The Ravens’ rushing attack impressed on the game’s first drive. Four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry joined the team in free agency last offseason, providing a bruising option in the running game. With the Ravens looking to establish the run early, he garnered plenty of attention from the Chiefs’ defensive line. This opened up space for Jackson, who finished with a game-high 122 rushing yards.

Henry finished off Baltimore’s opening drive with his first touchdown as a Raven.

However, as the Chiefs took the lead into the second half, Henry began to fade out of the game, as the Ravens began to rely on their passing attack and Jackson’s scrambles to get down the field.

That could be an area for concern this season; while Jackson was excellent on the ground as usual, he had 16 rush attempts and took multiple big hits. Baltimore will need its two-time NFL MVP to protect himself and avoid injury this season if it wants to remain an AFC powerhouse.

Xavier Worthy Lives Up To His Name

The big story for the Kansas City offense after this offseason was how the new wide receivers they brought in would change the look of the offense.

With new addition Marquise Brown out with a shoulder injury, it was up to first-round rookie Xavier Worthy to change the dynamic of the KC wide receiver room. Needless to say, he made his mark, and then some.

Touching the ball just three times, the explosive youngster found the end zone twice. In the first quarter, the Chiefs responded to the Henry score with a 21-yard touchdown on an end-around to Worthy. Showing off his absurd speed, Worthy escaped the clutches of the Ravens defense practically untouched on his jaunt to the end zone.

Chiefs radio play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus provided an electrifying call for the rookie’s first career score:

Later in the fourth quarter, Worthy took advantage of a blown coverage on a 35-yard strike from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to put Kansas City up by double digits with 10:32 to go in the game.

While Rashee Rice was the team’s leading receiver with 7 receptions for 103 yards, Worthy provided a spark that the team lacked last year – and one that could be crucial down the stretch.

Kansas City Wins The War In The Trenches

In what proved to be a battle of physicality between the two teams, the Chiefs were up to the challenge.

On offense, Isiah Pacheco’s brute-force running behind powerful center Creed Humphrey and guards Trey Smith and Joe Thuney provided another spark for the KC offense.

Pacheco refused to go down on a 1-yard touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. He appeared to be stopped at the line of scrimmage, but kept his legs churning and fell over the goal line for the score to make it 20-10 Kansas City.

On defense, it was more of the same from last season, when the Chiefs ranked second in the NFL in points allowed.

Pro Bowl defensive lineman Chris Jones recorded a strip-sack of Jackson in the second quarter. Later in the evening, linebacker Leo Chenal saved a touchdown at the end of the first half, deflecting a Jackson pass intended for wide-open running back Justice Hill.

Kansas City’s tackling was also as sound as ever. Safety Justin Reid laid down a big hit on Hill to force a Ravens punt in the first quarter. A few drives later, cornerback Trent McDuffie stopped Ravens wideout Zay Flowers in his tracks on a huge fourth-down play in the second quarter.

Those denied opportunities for the Ravens made all the difference as Kansas City continued holding on to its lead. The Chiefs averaged 7.1 yards per play against one of the NFL’s top defenses last season.

Next Up

The Chiefs have another high-profile AFC matchup in Week 2 at home, this time against the Cincinnati Bengals. Meanwhile, Ravens will look to bounce back from the loss at home against the Las Vegas Raiders next week.