So close, yet so far.
Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely scored a game-tying touchdown in the NFL season opener, but it was narrowly outbounded, giving the Chiefs a tense 27-20 victory.
There was pain in Baltimore and in the gambling community.
One of the largest reported bets came from Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who was devastated after seeing a $300,000 moneyline bet at DraftKings Sportsbook go bust when Thursday's deadline expired.
“Out of bounds. Tragic,” Portnoy wrote, posting a video of what appeared to be a Ravens scoring touchdown that tied the game, but replay showed the tragic reality. “That clock management by the Ravens would haunt my dreams.”
Even though the Ravens were three-point underdogs, Portnoy projected them to win at +130, which would have netted him a profit of $390,000.
Most fans watching the game, including Portnoy, were excited to see Ravens coach John Harbaugh hold up two fingers to show Baltimore was gunning for the win over the Chiefs when Likely knocked the reception down.
All of that fell apart when it became clear Likely was out of bounds.
Baltimore lost at least one more chance in the end zone when quarterback Lamar Jackson didn't spike after a 38-yard pass to Rashaud Bateman, instead wasting about 20 seconds to get the play called at the line of scrimmage just seconds before the end of the game.
“I thought it was a touchdown. I still think it was a touchdown,” Jackson said after the game, but Portnoy criticized his comments, saying, “What the hell are the Ravens talking about? Part 1.”
Part two for Portnoy was a video of Likely saying, “If this is the best that can happen for (the Chiefs) … I wish them the best of luck in the postseason.”
Baltimore's loss was a heartbreaking one, similar to the one they suffered against Kansas City after losing in last season's AFC Championship Game.
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Baltimore will continue to have nightmares facing Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs until they beat them in the playoffs.
“I'm not even going to sleep yet,” Portnoy posted on X just before 1:30 a.m. ET.
