KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely couldn’t complete a potentially game-tying touchdown, landing millimeters out of bounds as he tried to complete a 10-yard catch as time expired, and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas Chiefs held on late to win Thursday’s season opener 27-20.
The rematch of last season’s AFC championship game, in which the Chiefs stunned the top-seeded Ravens in Baltimore, came down to the final drive. The Ravens, who took over with 1:50 remaining and no timeouts, advanced to Kansas City’s 10 with 18 seconds remaining. But quarterback Lamar Jackson missed Likely on his third-to-last attempt and wide receiver Zay Flowers on his second-to-last throw. Likely was open in the back of the end zone, but his catch was overturned after a review.
Jackson fell to 1-5 in his career against Patrick Mahomes, his AFC nemesis. Jackson, who often found himself under pressure from star Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones, finished 26-for-41 for 273 yards, highlighted by a 49-yard touchdown pass to Likely, who weaved down the right sideline to draw the Ravens within three at 20-17 with 14:47 remaining.
Running back Derrick Henry opened the game with a 5-yard touchdown run that capped a 70-yard march. But his usage waned as the game wore on, and the Ravens’ top free-agent acquisition finished with just 13 carries for 46 yards.
The Chiefs matched Henry’s touchdown quickly, with rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy scoring from 21 yards on a reverse. They entered halftime with a 13-10 lead, then added to it with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by running back Isiah Pacheco to open the third quarter.
Worthy, Kansas City’s speedy first-round pick, scored again early in the fourth quarter, walking into the end zone after a coverage bust left him wide open down the right sideline. The 35-yard score pushed the Chiefs’ lead to 27-17.
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The Ravens answered with a field goal, and they forced a punt on Kansas City’s second-to-last drive to set up the dramatic finish. They return to Baltimore in Week 2 for a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Not ready for prime time
Once upon a time, John Harbaugh played his starters in the preseason. Maybe, in hindsight, this would’ve been a good year to do it.
One Ravens starter after another looked like he was playing with summertime expectations, not fall readiness. Illegal-formation penalty? They never call that in training camp. Offensive pass interference? No way. Hit a quarterback in the helmet? The defense will be fine. The Chiefs just sent another player in motion to the strong side of the field? Someone else will take care of him.
Kansas City had its own issues, most notably a shaky set of hands. But the Ravens have folded against the Chiefs over the years because they can’t keep their wits about them. On Thursday night, they looked ill prepared in moments that seemed small but loomed large.
— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter
A lot of weapons that the Ravens aren’t using
Derrick Henry. Mark Andrews. Rashod Bateman. Nelson Agholor. Believe it or not, all these players are in the Ravens offense. And yet it still felt like they were massively underused in the season opener. After establishing a deceptive run game in an opening touchdown drive, the Ravens all but abandoned it — and Henry — to run screens and other short-yardage passing plays that had mixed success. Andrews, Bateman and Agholor didn’t get completions until the second half.
Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely are talented players, but they shouldn’t be expected to carry this offense by themselves. Some of what the Ravens wanted to do felt blown up by spotty protection, but how did it take a whole half to get Andrews or Bateman involved? Why did the carries dry up for Henry even when the game was within reach? The whole game plan felt a little like a remix of the mistakes the Ravens made against the Chiefs in January. Somehow this offense is less than the sum of its parts.
— Kyle Goon, columnist
Offensive line doesn’t have time to learn slowly
The problem with patience is it takes too damn long.
General manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh have promised to be patient with their new offensive line, but they may need stronger stomachs than they anticipated, because the Chiefs manhandled that group. The good news: This is just Week 1, and the Chiefs boast a strong defensive line. The bad news: It doesn’t get much easier from here. Next up are the Las Vegas Raiders, who employ Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins. Then it’s the Dallas Cowboys, with Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. The first respite visible on the schedule comes in Week 6, when the Washington Commanders come to Baltimore.
The otherworldly talents of Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers will go to waste if the line in front of them doesn’t give them time to operate. The youngsters in whom DeCosta has invested will need to grow up quickly.
— Paul Mancano, Banner Ravens Podcast co-host
Ravens can’t take the heat
The Ravens went with speed at cornerback with their first-round pick. The Chiefs went with speed at wide receiver. One showed out. The other barely played. Unfortunately for the Ravens, the Chiefs’ tactic seemed to work a lot better. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy had a debut more than worthy of a first-round draft pick. He burned the Ravens secondary, filled with talented defensive backs Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton. The Chiefs paired him with running back Isiah Pacheco and wide receiver Rashee Rice, and the Ravens couldn’t keep up.
And the matchup of the two young speedsters that social media was speculating about immediately after the Ravens’ and Chiefs’ picks? It didn’t happen. Cornerback Nate Wiggins played minimal defensive snaps, mostly limited to special teams. That doesn’t mean he’s a bust — he’s young and has a high ceiling. But maybe his defensive teammates would have benefited from trying to keep up with him to prepare for Worthy.
— Giana Han, Ravens reporter
This one is on the coaches
Keeping in mind the season is long and this team has time to grow and the Ravens don’t really use the preseason to fully figure things out, there’s one primary takeaway from tonight: The coaching was not nearly what it needed to be.
Did the Ravens sign Derrick Henry without a plan for using him? Did they go into the season with an overmatched offensive line and think they could compensate by simply throwing to the flat? Clock management was messy. Timeouts got wasted. Somebody forgot to tell Ronnie Stanley where to stand before the play starts. The Ravens inexplicably failed to cover the fastest player ever to run the 40-yard dash at the combine.
The good news is these things are fixable — and the Ravens still came a toe from tying or winning the game. But nothing felt crisp or well planned. That’s highly unusual with a John Harbaugh team. But it was impossible to miss Thursday night.
— Chris Korman, editor
