Chiefs dominate Ravens (by one foot) in thrilling season opener

Kansas City Chiefs first-round rookie Xavier Worthy caught a 35-yard touchdown pass and ran for a 21-yard touchdown as the Chiefs began their quest for a third straight Super Bowl title with a thrilling 27-20 victory over the visiting Baltimore Orioles in the NFL regular-season opener on Thursday night.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson appeared to hit Isaiah Likely for a 10-yard touchdown as time expired, but upon video review, the tight end was ruled to have landed with the toe of his cleat out of bounds.

When officials initially ruled the play a touchdown, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh indicated it was better to attempt a two-point conversion rather than try to send the game into overtime.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards with a touchdown and an interception, making just enough plays to outlast Jackson and the Ravens in a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game.

Rashee Rice caught seven passes for 103 yards for the Chiefs while tight end Travis Kelce caught three passes for 34 yards in the presence of his girlfriend and pop star Taylor Swift.

After each team scored a touchdown on its opening drive of the game and combined for three field goals in the second quarter, the Chiefs took a 20-10 lead on the opening drive of the second half on a one-yard run by Isiah Pacheco.

Under pressure for much of the game behind an offensive line with three new starters, Jackson rushed to his right and hit Likely for a 49-yard touchdown to cut the lead to three on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Jackson completed 26 of 41 passes for 273 yards with a touchdown and added 122 rushing yards on 16 carries.

On the ensuing drive, Worthy made perhaps the most important play of the game, picking off a Mahomes pass on second-and-10 from the Baltimore 35-yard line and giving the Chiefs a 27-17 lead with 10:25 left.

A 32-yard field goal by Justin Tucker brought the Ravens within seven points with 4:54 left in the game.

Baltimore got the ball back after a two-minute warning but with no timeouts. On a first-and-10 with 43 seconds left, Jackson threw a 38-yard pass to Rashod Bateman at the Kansas City 10-yard line.

Jackson then threw a pair of incomplete throws before the ill-fated throw to Likely to end the game.

Baltimore running back Derrick Henry, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, rushed for 46 yards on 13 carries and scored on a 5-yard run on the game’s opening drive.

The Chiefs tied the score at 7-7 when Worthy took a pass from Mahomes and ran past Ravens defenders for a 21-yard score with 5:55 left in the first quarter.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones strip-sacked Jackson on the second play of the second quarter, which was recovered by Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the Baltimore 14-yard line. The Ravens defense held firm, however, limiting the Chiefs to a 32-yard field goal by Harrison Butker to make it 10-7.

The Ravens failed to convert a fourth-and-3 when Zay Flowers caught a pass from Jackson and was tackled at midfield for a one-yard gain on the ensuing drive. However, the Chiefs again had to settle for three points, this time on a 31-yard kick from Butker that gave them a 13-7 lead with 5:44 left in the half.

An interception by Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith at the Baltimore 49-yard line with 1:44 left in the first half led to a 25-yard field goal by Tucker that cut the lead to 13-10 at the break.