Chiefs hold off Ravens 27-20 as review nullifies touchdown in final play of NFL season opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes thought for a moment that the Chiefs were going to overtime. So did Ravens opponent Lamar Jackson, who found Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone with no time left to score a touchdown that would have seemingly tied the game.

In the end, 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 few seconds to watch the last game before making his announcement: He probably landed with his toe on the end linethat sent Baltimore’s tight end out of bounds and gave the Chiefs a 27-20 victory that put them on the hunt for their 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 help 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 ground, but analysis of the last game left him rueing another 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 in the fourth quarter before kicking a field goal. Then they got the ball back at their own 13-yard line with 1:50 left and no timeouts. Jackson threw a couple of passes to Likely, who gained 111 yards and a touchdown, and fought his way to a crucial 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 completely open Zay Flowers in the back of the end zone. Then came the final throw, after Jackson had struggled for what seemed like an eternity, and it looked like Likely had forced overtime.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh even gave his team the signal to attempt a game-winning 2-point conversion, but 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 came after the start was delayed by about 20 minutes due to a storm with heavy rain and lightning.

The Ravens opened the game 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 end zone from 5 yards out for the early lead.

But the highly motivated Chiefs, looking to avoid back-to-back season-opening losses, needed just two minutes to respond. Mahomes scored twice against Rashee Rice, who has yet to escape 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 with his 21-yard touchdown run.

After these two drives, however, the first half was mainly characterized by the mistakes of the first week.

Jackson was sacked 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 the Ravens’ next series on fourth-and-3 near the halfway line, leading to another field goal. And even Justin Tucker, one of the league’s most accurate kickers, sank a 53-yard field goal attempt wide left.

The Chiefs weren’t immune to mistakes either. Mahomes’ pass was intercepted by Roquan Smith on a bad throw late in the first half, leading to a chip-shot field goal that put Baltimore — which trailed at halftime twice all of last season — up 13-10 at the break.

But the Ravens’ inability to get into the end zone and gain momentum ultimately proved costly.

The Chiefs opened the second half with an 81-yard touchdown run to extend their lead. Then, after Jackson passed to Likely for a 49-yard touchdown throw on a broken play, 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 game 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 field after another 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 only star to attend NFL opening night. Quincy Hall, an Olympic gold medalist in the 400-meter dash, was in the crowd, 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 field after six plays in the second half due to an eye injury and did not return.

Next

Ravens: Host in Las Vegas on Sunday, September 15th.

Chiefs: Host Cincinnati on Sunday, September 15.

___

NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl