Football is back!
After a 20-minute weather delay, the NFL kicked off the 2024 season with the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship, which doubled as Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s final game as Ravens defensive coordinator. In their first game without Macdonald, Baltimore’s defense still looked relatively good, but the outcome was still a 27-20 Chiefs win by the thinnest of margins.
Despite multiple illegal formation penalties on Ronnie Stanley, the Ravens struck first with a Derrick Henry rushing touchdown in his debut. A much cooler debut was made by speedy Kansas City rookie Xavier Worthy, whose first touch was an end-around that went 21 yards for a touchdown.
Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes both committed turnovers that cost their respective teams a field goal. Jackson fumbled on a Chris Jones strip sack, while Mahomes was picked off by Roquan Smith right before halftime. Justin Tucker atoned for his 52-yard miss (one play prior to the Mahomes INT) with a 25-yard chip shot to draw the Ravens within 13-10 at the break.
Kansas City extended its lead to 20-10 on a 1-yard Isiah Pacheco run, which probably could’ve been stopped for forward progress but nevertheless he was pushed into the end zone. A roughing the passer penalty on the Ravens got the Chiefs out of what would’ve been 3rd and long in the red zone.
Jackson didn’t throw down the field often in this game—pass protection was an issue—but you know he’s got magic in him just as much as Mahomes. This improvised throw to Isaiah Likely was great in itself, but Likely did the rest with huge YAC and a 49-yard touchdown early in the 4th quarter.
The three-point deficit was short-lived. A horribly busted coverage by the Ravens secondary resulted in Xavier Worthy’s second touchdown on just four touches.
A Justin Tucker field goal made it 27-20 but with less than five minutes to go and only timeout left. Baltimore burning two TOs on defense could’ve loomed large in the closing stages of the game. Mahomes was nearly intercepted on a tipped pass that he ended up catching in between two Ravens defenders. A first down could’ve run the clock out, a turnover would’ve been a short Ravens field, but he made the catch and assured the clock would dwindle to the two-minute warning.
With 87 yards to go, Jackson had a chance to get a modicum of revenge against the team that knocked him out of the AFC Championship. A huge throw downfield to Rashod Bateman set the Ravens at the Kansas City 10, but he stayed inbounds and the clock was tick-tick-ticking.
After Jackson missed an open Isaiah Likely and Zay Flowers on back-to-back plays, he had one more shot with five seconds to go. Jackson scrambled, bought time, and zipped a perfect throw to Likely in the back of the end zone. Touchdown, Ravens! And they’re going for two and the win?
Well…
It really is a game of inches. What a way to start the NFL season.
Macdonald’s current team, the Seattle Seahawks, will get their season underway on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
