An NFL field is 120 yards long, counting both end zones, and the Ravens needed just one more inch.
Tight end Isaiah Likely caught what appeared to be a touchdown on the final play of the game that could have set up the Ravens to tie or win, but upon review, it was determined that Likely’s toe landed on the back line of the end zone as he came down with the leaping grab. The incompletion ended the game, and the Kansas City Chiefs escaped with a thrilling 27-20 win against the Ravens in the league’s opening game of the 2024 season on Sept. 5.
The Ravens led only once, at 7-0 after their opening drive, but they had an answer each time the Chiefs threatened to pull away.
Lamar Jackson threw for 273 yards and ran for 122, and his 38-yard pass to Rashod Bateman in the final minute set up the Ravens for a couple of shots at the end zone. Jackson missed Likely in the back left corner of the end zone on first down with 10 seconds left, and then threw behind Zay Flowers in the middle of the end zone with five seconds left.
That set up one final play with the game on the line. Likely, who had left the game briefly after landing hard on the previous incompletion, returned to the game and leaped behind Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton for what was originally signaled a touchdown.
As Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was calling for a two-point conversion try — which would have decided the game — officials reviewed the play and saw that Likely’s toe landed on the back line of the end zone. Incomplete. Game over.
It was a crushing ending for a Ravens team that had traded blows all night with the two-time reigning Super Bowl champs, but it left Jackson 1-5 in his career against the team he once dubbed the Ravens’ “Kryptonite.”
The Ravens took a 7-0 lead on their opening drive when running back Derrick Henry powered across the goal line on a 5-yard run for his first score as a Raven. But as they did in the AFC title game, the Chiefs offense started fast as well. They went 67 yards in five plays, and rookie Xavier Worthy sped on an end around for a 21-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7 with 5:55 left in the first quarter.
The Chiefs led 13-10 at the half after a pair of field goals from Harrison Butker. The Ravens could have answered both of those scores, but Justin Tucker was wide left from 53 yards. He then hit a 25-yarder with three seconds left in the half after Roquan Smith intercepted Patrick Mahomes near midfield to set up Jackson and the Ravens’ offense.
With the Chiefs leading 20-10, Jackson and Likely answered with a 49-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline on the first play of the fourth quarter. But the Chiefs countered when Mahomes (20-28, 291 yards) found Worthy all alone down the right sideline. The blown coverage by the Ravens’ secondary resulted in a 35-yard score and a 27-17 Chiefs lead with 10:25 left.
Tucker’s second field goal of the game cut the deficit to 27-20, and the Ravens had one last chance after Trenton Simpson deflected a third-down pass from Patrick Mahomes. The ball was corralled by Mahomes, but the Chiefs were forced to punt coming out of the two-minute warning.
Needing to go 87 yards in the final 1:50, the Ravens appeared to do just that — but their final pass proved to be one inch too long.
Here are five quick observations on the game, just the second loss in the Ravens’ past nine season openers:
1. Isaiah Likely confirms that the Ravens have the best tight end duo in the league.
When All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews was sidelined last season by an ankle injury, Isaiah Likely showed what he was capable of. Now that Andrews is healthy again, he and Likely present a tight end duo that no team can match, and defensive coordinators will lose sleep preparing for them.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken said all summer that he would get his best playmakers on the field, and that the Ravens would find ways to feature both Andrews and Likely. The big surprise of this game was that Andrews was relatively quiet, with just two catches for 14 yards. But Likely showed, as he did last season, that he can be a dynamic receiver and an especially potent weapon after the catch.
In this game, Likely caught a pass from Jackson at the 30, juked a defender, got a good block from Zay Flowers down the right sideline, then made another deke and walked in to the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown.
Likely also showed his toughness, coming back into the game after a painful, hard landing on an incompletion in the final minute, and putting himself in position for what appeared to be a potential game-winning score.
Maybe most significant, Likely showed just how much trust Jackson has in him. He was Jackson’s top target against the Chiefs with 12, in part because he was a good sideline option as they looked to manage the clock. But it’s notable that on two of the final three plays, with the game on the line, Jackson looked to Likely.
2. Even with Derrick Henry, Lamar Jackson is a big part of this running game.
Some thought that with the Ravens signing Derrick Henry this offseason, Jackson’s role in the running game would be diminished. That wasn’t the case against the Chiefs, as Jackson ran a team-high 16 times for 122 yards. To be sure, some of those were not designed runs, and were the product of Jackson avoiding pressure and taking off. But plenty of them were by design, and the Ravens aren’t about to abandon Jackson’s singular running ability.
Henry had his moments, including the game’s first score, but he finished with modest totals of 46 yards on 13 carries. He found tough sledding inside against a Chiefs defensive front that won a lot of battles up front. Henry isn’t going to be carrying the ball 25 times a game, but it’s doubtful the Ravens want Jackson taking as many hits as he took at Kansas City, either. Part of that is on Jackson, who thought nothing of lowering his shoulder and challenging a Chiefs defender on the sideline.
Since neither Henry nor Jackson played at all in the preseason, the Chiefs game was the first look at both of them in the backfield together, and it’s an imposing sight, even more so when 300-pound Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard lines up in the backfield as well.
The running game might not look the same week to week, but Jackson will continue to be a big part of it.
3. Zach Orr’s debut showed promise but also included a couple of costly hiccups.
For Zach Orr in his debut as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, facing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense on the road was about as tough an assignment as could be given. Overall, Orr and the Ravens were composed and stymied the Chiefs at times. They held them to 1-for-3 in the red zone and forced three punts. Most notably, they got a stop on the Chiefs’ final possession that allowed the Ravens one last shot at the win.
But there were clearly hiccups along the way, to be expected in Week 1 with a new coordinator and after most starters sat out the preseason. Those proved costly.
Most notably, the defense simply fell apart on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to rookie Xavier Worthy. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey had Worthy off the line of scrimmage but let him go, clearly expecting safety help. Except no safety, or any other Raven, was within 15 yards of Worthy as he caught a pass and cruised into the end zone for his second score.
The Ravens mixed and matched a lot on defense, with several players rotating through the secondary and on the edge, but defensive confusion also led the team to use two second-half timeouts in the third quarter. Then they didn’t have those timeouts available for the final drive of the game.
There was plenty to like about this defensive performance. Travis Jones bullrushed into the Chiefs’ backfield to force an interception caught by Roquan Smith. Trenton Simpson had pressure early and a big pass deflection late. David Ojabo had a sack that hinted at his potential.
Yet the mistakes were costly, because Mahomes, maybe more than any player in the league today, will take advantage of them.
4. The offensive line got better as the game went on.
Rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten couldn’t have had a more inglorious debut. On his first career regular-season snap, Chiefs All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones blew by him and knocked the ball out of Jackson’s hand for a strip-sack that set up a Chiefs field goal.
The line also appeared to be something of a guinea pig early for an officiating crew that seemed intent on proving a point, calling Ronnie Stanley three times for illegal formation penalties for lining up too far off the line of scrimmage. It was curious that Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor, often lined up similarly, was not flagged once.
As the game went on, though, the line held up better. Patrick Mekari started at right tackle and alternated with Rosengarten. Pressure came, and came often, but Jackson was able to step out of it, at times because center Tyler Linderbaum stood his ground inside and the tackles forced the edge rushers to the outside.
Running back Derrick Henry got hit in the backfield, or near the line, more than the Ravens would like, but considering left guard Andrew Vorhees and Rosengarten were each playing the first regular-season game of his career and right guard Daniel Faalele was playing the first regular-season game of his career at that position, growing pains are expected.
The Ravens continue to express optimism and potential of this group. The more they play, the better they should get.
5. The Ravens can’t afford a Week 1 hangover.
The Ravens were emotionally charged for this game, coming against the team that scuttled their Super Bowl hopes in the last game of last season. But once again, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs proved to be the better team during the course of 60 minutes. Barely, but better. The challenge now for the Ravens is to limit the fallout to those 60 minutes, especially with the agonizing way this one ended.
Speaking earlier this week, head coach John Harbaugh said, “It’s the first game, but it’s not the only game. We’re going to have another game after that, and we’re going to have 17 regular-season games and as many postseason games as we earn. We have to keep that in mind and keep it in perspective that way.”
Indeed, the Ravens host Las Vegas in the home opener at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 15, and then face Dallas and Buffalo before the end of September. It’s a daunting opening stretch, and the Ravens can ill afford to have this loss carry over to others.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox