A minor scrape on Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely was the difference between overtime in the NFL's first game of the season and the Kansas City Chiefs' first win of the year.
On the final play of the game, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens needed a touchdown to force overtime, and Jackson made a pass to Likely, who secured it and tried to step in with both feet.
However, upon review, Likely's toes were determined to be on the backline and the ball was ruled out of bounds, resulting in a dramatic end to the game with the home team winning 27-20.
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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) scores a touchdown against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison (40) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
Ravens coach John Harbaugh spoke about Likely's performance after the game, calling it a gutsy game that “made a ton of plays,” especially down the stretch, but the play that Harbaugh appeared to be trying to win with the two-point conversion will be one that will be talked about for some time to come.
The Chiefs are looking to make NFL history this season as the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships, and on the night they unveiled their latest banner, they got off to a flying start (no pun intended) with the stuff they had to do and, ultimately, some luck on their side.
Earlier this year, the Chiefs beat the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game to advance to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, and now they've continued that dominance with a home game in Kansas City.
While Patrick Mahomes showed off his usual magic on the football field as the Chiefs' quarterback, it was his newest weapon: rookie speedster Xavier Worthy who really shone in his NFL debut.
One of the reasons the Chiefs are expected to have an explosive season is because of Worthy, who held the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Scouting Combine with a time of 4.21 seconds.
His speed was on full display in the game, as he only touched the ball three times, two of which went for touchdowns.
The Chiefs needed just four plays to get downfield into scoring position on their first drive of the season, when Mahomes passed to second-year receiver Ruchy Rice, who caught two passes for 27 yards, the last of which was a catch-and-run for 16 yards and a horse-collar tackle for another 15 yards.
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The ball then went to rookie receiver Xavier Worthy, the record-holder for the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, for the first time, and he didn't disappoint, sprinting through the Ravens defense to the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown run, his first touch in the NFL.
But it was the Ravens who scored the first touchdown of the new year, when new running back Derrick Henry rushed from five yards out to become the first Raven to reach the end zone.
But after the strong starts, both the Chiefs and Ravens elected to punt on their next drives, which then saw the first turnovers of the new year.
Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had been on a rampage throughout the game, broke into the backfield and ripped the ball out of Jackson's hands on the first play of the Ravens' third drive, giving the Chiefs another chance to score a touchdown, but JuJu Smith-Schuster, who rejoined the Chiefs this offseason, couldn't handle the ball on the goal line.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) scrambles against Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton (98) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
Harrison Butker made his first field goal of the year to give Kansas City the lead.
Kansas City would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game. Baltimore just couldn't get the momentum it usually does during its best season in the league last year (though the final drive did make things interesting). Justin Tucker, who struggled to make field goals from 50 yards or more last season, missed his first field goal of the year from 53 yards out.
And despite an intercepted Mahomes pass late in the first half, the Ravens had to settle for a field goal and go to the locker room trailing by three points, 13-10.
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The Chiefs created a gap on their first drive of the second half, with Mahomes leading a six-play, 81-yard drive that ended with Pacheco scoring from 1 yard out.
But while the Ravens are struggling offensively, we all know it only takes one play to turn things around, and that's exactly what happened when Jackson threw a pass to Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, who filled in for the injured Mark Andrews last year.
He made a solid pass with linebacker Nick Bolton covering him, and began to evade the Chiefs' passes. After dodging Bolton, he evaded a few blocks and started to race down the field. He braked just before the goal line and drove into the end zone for a 49-yard touchdown that made it a three-point game again.
But Worthy's second touchdown came just after Baltimore found momentum again up the sideline, when Marlon Humphrey thought he got help from a safety up top and Mahomes didn't miss the rookie on the right wing, running into the end zone for a 35-yard score.
The Ravens cut the lead to seven points with another Tucker field goal, then got the ball back with two minutes left in the game and a shot at tying the game or winning.
Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) steps back to throw a pass during the first half of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)
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Baltimore marched down the field, Jackson found Likely and started to break down the defense, then Rashaud Bateman caught a 38-yard pass and landed at the Kansas City 10-yard line, and the game got interesting.
On second-and-goal with 10 seconds left, Jackson danced around the pocket and made a pass to a free Zay Flowers, who threw it behind him and Likely missed, bringing the Ravens' night to a heartbreaking end.
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