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    • Chiefs got lucky against Ravens, but still look like champions
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    Chiefs got lucky against Ravens, but still look like champions

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    KANSAS CITY, Missouri. — Sometimes it’s better to have a little luck.

    For all the fireworks the Kansas City Chiefs let off to officially launch their three-peat mission on Thursday night, they nearly blew it, leaving Arrowhead Stadium with egg on their faces.

    But here’s an ode to Isaiah Likely’s right big toe.

    Not only did the Chiefs win the rematch in the AFC title game against the Baltimore Ravens to kick off the new NFL season, they also survived in a photo finish when Likely’s apparent 10-yard touchdown catch with no time left on the clock was overturned by a replay that could also be viewed in HD on the Jumbotrons.

    Phew.

    Rising tight end Lamar Jackson likely caught a high throw to the back of the end zone, but just missed it with his toe touching the chalk. Out of bounds. Game over. That’s it, folks.

    “It was definitely nerve-wracking,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said after the 27-20 thriller. “It looked good from my sideline angle, but when you first saw it, you saw the cleat. They’re a great football team. I’m sure we’ll see them again somewhere in the playoffs.”

    The best teams, like the two-time reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs, often find ways to produce exciting results that define the entertainment value of the NFL.

    The not-good-enough teams, a label these Ravens are still trying to shake, leave with lessons. Details, details.

    “He should wear white cleats next time,” Mahomes said of Likely. “That’s my advice to him.”

    Ouch.

    Around the corner and down the hall from where Mahomes was speaking, Jackson, the NFL’s reigning MVP, was still in disbelief—or a little confused—about the final play of the game. He couldn’t believe what the replay was showing all of America.

    “I thought it was a touchdown,” Jackson said. “Still think it was a touchdown.”

    Come on, MVP. You’ve got to be better than that.

    Give the Ravens credit for the fight. When it looked like the Chiefs were on the verge of blowing them out of the building on a night when Kansas City was celebrating by unfurling another Super Bowl championship banner — the franchise’s third in five years — they kept it up. Likely’s stunning 49-yard touchdown haul early in the fourth quarter — he adjusted, got back on his route to catch a desperate pass with Jackson on the run, lost Nick Bolton and shot up the sideline with a toe-tapping run into the end zone — made it a three-point game.

    After Kansas City scored a touchdown on a chunk play of their own — Mahomes to rookie Xavier Worthy, 35 yards — the Ravens responded with a field goal and a defensive stop to set up the drama in the final minute.

    Jackson (26-of-41 for 273 yards, 1 TD) hit a 38-yard toss to Rashod Bateman to bring the Ravens to the 10-yard line with 18 seconds left. He then missed passes to Likely and Zay Flowers, setting up a make-or-break scenario.

    Add to that the other self-inflicted errors – Baltimore was warned five times for illegal formation, mostly because linemen failed to line up on the line of scrimmage – and the Ravens had no choice but to believe they had blown their prime-time opportunity to outplay the Chiefs.

    No, beating the Chiefs in Week 1 wouldn’t be revenge for their messy, mistake-ridden loss in the AFC title game, but it certainly would have been good for their psyche. Now, it’s fair to wonder whether they can handle it if, as Mahomes predicted, the Ravens meet the Chiefs again in January.

    “This is probably the worst game we’ll play this year,” said Likely, who had a game-high nine receptions for 111 yards. “If this is the best they’ve got, good luck.”

    Wow. Cut this out and save it for the Chiefs bulletin board.

    Jackson used to call the Chiefs his “Kryptonite.” He wouldn’t admit it Thursday night.

    “They’re not my Kryptonite,” he said.

    Either way, the Chiefs are the team that ended their season after the Ravens secured first place with the best AFC record in 2023. And now they’re the team that delivered a capital L and some teachable moments to start the new year.

    Jackson, who did what he didn’t do in Thursday night’s AFC title game – run from danger when coverage and pressure dictated it, rushing for a game-high 122 yards – doesn’t have to subscribe to the Superman narrative. But until the Ravens prove they can beat Mahomes and the Chiefs, those Super Bowl visions will remain a mirage.

    “We have to do what we have to do to win these games,” Jackson said.

    Easier said than done.

    And although the Chiefs struggled until the end, they showed that they can be more dangerous this time.

    Worthy, the rookie receiver who was drafted in the first round by the Chiefs weeks after setting the fastest 40-yard dash time ever at the combine (4.21 seconds), scored on his first touch of the football in his NFL debut. He took off with an end-around, got the ball on a flip from Mahomes and then turned the corner for a 21-yard touchdown.

    Worthy fumbled on a similar play during the preseason. But practice makes perfect. He predicted as much to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy during a walk-through session Thursday morning.

    “I told Coach Nagy, ‘I think this play is going to score,'” Worthy said. “And it did. So it’s great for my first touchdown in the NFL.”

    Worthy didn’t put up monster numbers (two catches, 47 yards and a TD), but his presence alone—like that lightning speed—helped open doors elsewhere. Rashee Rice—yes, the reckless driver who was charged with eight felonies for his role in a high-speed collision on a Dallas freeway in late March—recorded the bulk of his seven catches for 103 yards on slants and crossing routes underneath, allowing him to rack up significant yards after the catch. Mahomes, by the way, completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards, with the TD and an interception.

    But again, it wasn’t just the explosive plays that impressed. The Chiefs showed a lot of guts, led by the incomparable Mahomes.

    A prime example of this came early in the third quarter when Mahomes dropped his shoulder and crashed into the post, pushing Isiah Pacheco into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown, capping an 81-yard drive.

    What did Mahomes do?

    He said the offense was struggling in the red zone and needed a touchdown. So, he said, “I put my body on the line.”

    Talk about nerve-wracking. It was a case similar to a play against the Indianapolis Colts in 2018 in which a lineman collided with Mahomes, prompting a reprimand from coach Andy Reid for taking unnecessary risks.

    “Coach Reid told me never to do it again,” Mahomes said. “Luckily we scored (this time) and I didn’t get hit by anybody else. So he’ll probably tell me never to do it again, ever again.”

    It came on a night when the Chiefs had a great opportunity… and got the Ravens back on track.

    What would the Chiefs have learned about themselves?

    “Nothing I didn’t know,” star defender Chris Jones insisted. “That we’re greedy. We’re always fighting.”

    Essential ingredients for a three-peat.

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