Kansas City defeats Baltimore 27-20 in NFL season opener

Ravens coach John Harbaugh didn’t have any beef with the heartbreaking, toe-length call that went against his team on Thursday night’s final play.

Harbaugh said he told tight end Isaiah Likely not to be down on himself for putting his toe an inch too far, nullifying a possible tying or winning TD.

“I thought Isiah played a great football game I was proud of him and lot of others guys too,” Harbaugh told reporters.

There are 16 games still to go and Patrick Mahomes is already thinking about the playoffs.

The Chiefs QB recognized that Thursday night’s victory over a potential postseason foe could matter in January.

“That’s a team that’s going to be in the playoffs,” he told NBC Sports immediately after the Chiefs’ thrilling 27-20 win over Baltimore. “I know it’s a long way away but that (win) could be home field advantage.”

Lamar Jackson found Isaiah Likely for what looked like a potential tying or winning touchdown. But Likely’s toe was out of bounds, ending the game in a 27-20 Chiefs win.

The Ravens defense came up with a huge stop, giving Lamar Jackson the ball back after the two-minute warning and a chance to tie or take the lead.

Baltimore got a key third down stop, tipping a Patrick Mahomes pass — that he actually ended up catching himself — to prevent a conversion that would have effectively ended the game.

What’s most interesting to think about here is what the Ravens will do if they score a touchdown. John Harbaugh is one of the most aggressive coaches in the league and actually seems to appreciate his analytics staff. Baltimore could go for two and try to take the lead if it scores a touchdown.

Considering all the improbable game-winning drives we’ve seen Mahomes lead over the years, I’ll be surprised if the Ravens don’t try to take the lead. If they score, that is.

Baltimore will force a Kansas City punt and get the ball back with a chance to tie it.

The Ravens will likely have to go 80 or more yards for a potential tying score.

For our fantasy football players: Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely has received the second-most targets of any Baltimore receiver so far tonight.

Though tight end Mark Andrews has historically been Lamar Jackson’s security blanket in the passing game, Likely has been the go-to guy Thursday night. Late in the fourth, Likely was out-targeting Andrews seven to two.

Likely came on late last season after an ankle injury to Andrews. The two have played together often Thursday, but Likely has been the favored receiver.

Justin Tucker’s 32-yard field goal brought the Ravens a little closer as they trail the Chiefs 20-17 with just under 5 minutes left.

Facing fourth-and-4 from the K.C. 14-yard line , the Ravens opted to take 3 points now and bank on getting the ball back for a tying 7.

The Chiefs are looking like geniuses for grabbing receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of April’s draft.

Worthy has two touchdowns in his first NFL regular season game — one on the ground and one via the air.

Kansas City effectively swapped a third-round pick for a fourth-round one with the Bills to move up and take Worthy in the first. He’s already added another explosive element to the Chiefs’ offense — and Buffalo may come to regret allowing one of its AFC rivals to add such a dynamic player.

Taylor Swift was back in the box at Arrowhead Stadium tonight, sipping what appeared to be a vodka cran and hanging with Donna and Ed Kelce as they watched the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs.A series of video clips appeared to show Swift interacting with fans on the other side of the glass and even wearing a friendship bracelet to go with her denim set and red boots.She was caught cheesing and cheering at what is surely not her last NFL appearance of the season.

Patrick Mahomes hit Xavier Worthy for a 35-yards touchdown, taking advantage of an inexplicable blown coverage by the Ravens.

Worthy could not have been more open down the sideline as the Chiefs extended their lead to 27-17 with 10:25 left in regulation.

Lamar Jackson somehow evaded a fierce Kansas City pass rush and found Isaiah Likely for an unlikely 49-yard touchdown toss, cutting the Chiefs lead to 20-17.

Had the Ravens failed to score on that drive, they would have been trailing by two scores with time against them.

With 15 minutes left, the Ravens are in desperate need for points on this drive.

If Baltimore fails to get on the scoreboard, it’ll be a tough task to get ball back twice, score each time and shutout Kansas City along the way.

Rashee Rice looks to be Patrick Mahomes’s favorite receiver so far.

The second-year player is off to a hot start in Kansas City’s season opener, catching six passes for 98 yards (on eight targets) through nearly three quarters, helping the Chiefs get out to a 20-10 lead over the Ravens.

Baltimore is having trouble covering Rice in the slot, as he’s routinely getting open on slant routes over the middle of the field.

Rice caught 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns during his rookie season. With Marquez Valdes-Scantling gone and fellow receiver Xavier Worthy only a rookie, Rice is taking advantage of some of the extra opportunity.

Rice is playing despite facing an assault charge stemming from a high-speed hit and run during the offseason. The NFL is waiting for his legal situation to play out before deciding on discipline, a process that could carry over into December.

Swift got her moment in the spotlight midway through the third quarter, when the NBC broadcast highlighted Kelce’s appearance on stage with her during “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” at the Eras Tour this summer.

As if he knew his beloved was just being broadcast to millions, Kelce promptly completed a first down mere seconds after the small Swift segment aired.

The financial footprint of fantasy sports is about $13 billion and counting. NBC News’ Sam Brock speaks with players and local businesses about fantasy football’s popularity.

Isiah Pacheco powered his way in from 1 yard out, as Kansas City extended its lead to 20-10 early in the third quarter.

The Chiefs were backed up to first-and-20 at the Ravens 28 before Nnamdi Madubuike was flagged for roughing the passer, giving Kansas City a key first down.

Kansas City will receive the ball to start the second half, with a chance to take a two-score lead.

Baltimore leads in first downs, 12-8, and total yards, 204-139. Each team has turned it over once.

Justin Tucker’s 25-yard field goal cut Kansas City lead’s to 13-10 in the dying moments of the second quarter.

Patrick Mahomes, throwing off his back foot, was intercepted by Roquan Smith and the Ravens have it back near midfield with 1:45 left in the half.

Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker narrowly missed from 53 yards, wide left, leaving Kansas City with another short field.

The Chiefs will have nearly two minutes to score from their own 43-yard line, already leading 13-7.

Somehow Patrick Mahomes was not the Chiefs’ all-time leader in passing yards before tonight. That is no longer true after this second-quarter pass.

Len Dawson, you truly had a great run.

Patrick Mahomes has four incompletions so far — and three of them have been drops by his receivers.

This was an issue for Kansas City last season. (You may remember Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropping a potential game-winning touchdown vs. the Eagles on Sunday Night Football last year.) Rashee Rice, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Travis Kelce have all had drops in the first half tonight.

These drops sometimes feel like the only thing that can hold Mahomes back. The Chiefs have tried addressing the receiver position this year, adding Xavier Worthy in the first round to bring a new element to the group.

The latest drop — by Kelce — helped Baltimore hold Kansas City to a field goal after a turnover on downs. That could prove to be costly moving forward.

Harrison Butker connected from 31 yards out to give Kansas City a 13-7 lead midway through the second quarter, but it’s the Ravens who are grinning like the devil.

Baltimore gave up two short fields to Kansas City on consecutive possessions but stopped the Chiefs short of the end zone both times.

Travis Kelce made a big third-down catch on this latest drive but he let one go through his hands on second-and-5 at the Ravens’ 13-yard line.

One face has been relatively absent from NBC’s broadcast of the Chiefs-Ravens game: Swift’s.

Last season, she angered NFL fans by how often the cameras panned to her celebrating from the box above the field (a decision she had no control over) but so far this game, the cameras have been staying farther away from Swift than they have in the past.

Whenever she is shown on screen, though, she appears to be following and cheering along.

Swift also didn’t bring any of her ultra-famous fans to this game, like she has in the past. The most famous face next to her in the box? Travis Kelce’s dad.

Travis Kelce made his first two catches of the season on this drive, a modest 1-yard pickup and then a huge 23-yard grab on third down.

Patrick Mahomes avoided multiple pass rushers before finding his favorite target on third-and-12.

Trent McDuffie stopped Zay Flowers on fourth-and-3 at midfield, setting up Kansas City in great field position.

Lamar Jackson’s short pass to Flowers was doomed from the start, as McDuffie read the play well and made the possession-turning play.

The new kickoffs are looking a lot like the ones so far, this young season.

The radical new kickoff rules have yet to yield a return after four boots of this season-opening game.

The Ravens are the ones smiling after Harrison Butker connected on a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter.

After a Lamar Jackson fumble gave Kansas City a first down at the Ravens’ 14-yard line, surrendering a field goal was a win for Baltimore.

Finding a solution to the Chris Jones problem is easier said than done, but the Ravens need to come up with something quick.

Jones just strip sacked Lamar Jackson, leading to a Kansas City recovery on Baltimore’s last drive.

Jones is taking advantage of the Ravens’ inexperienced offensive line. He also nearly sacked Jackson during Baltimore’s first possession. It may be time to get Jackson on the move in the pocket or find a way to double Jones, because he’s dominating early.

Kansas City forced the first big turnover of the game as Chris Jones sacked Lamar Jackson, forcing the fumble recovered by Felix Anudike-Uzomah at the Chiefs’ 14-yard line.

The Ravens might have to get Jackson out the pocket to avoid that pressure.

The first quarter came to an end with the score tied 7-7 and big blank space for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

He did not have any catches or targets in the first 15 minutes of play, as his girlfriend Taylor Swift cheered him on from up in the luxurious bleachers.

Kansas City finally stopped Baltimore on third down and got off the field.

The Ravens had converted their first three third downs before Lamar Jackson’s pass to Justice Hill gained just one yard on third-and-6.

Justin Reid made the stop for Kansas City, forcing the punt.

The Chiefs rookie receiver, who scored their opening touchdown, was Kansas City’s first-round pick out of Texas in April, and he should have plenty of opportunities to contribute this season.

The Chiefs’ wide receiver room is a bit of a mixed bag, and Worthy brings explosiveness: He ran the fastest time ever in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, posting an absurd 4.21.

That response didn’t take long.

It took just five plays for rookie WR Xavier Worthy to come around the right end for 21 yards and the tying score.

Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley was flagged three times for the same infraction. According to the NFL rulebook, seven players have to be on the line of scrimmage before the snap.

For offensive tackles, that typically means they have to have their helmet be at the waist of the center before the snap. Stanley, like many offensive tackles do, was taking an extra step back to give himself an advantage against opposing pass rushers.

Derrick Henry punched it in from five yards out and Baltimore jumped on top, 7-0 early in the first quarter.

Baltimore converted two third-and-long plays to keep this drive rolling.

Lamar Jackson hit Henry for 18 yards on third-and-11 and then connected with Zay Flowers for 19 yards on third-and-9.

After 207 and an extra 20 minutes, the Ravens have received the opening kickoff from the Chiefs and the 2024 NFL season is finally underway!

This is the first regular season kickoff under the new rules, and but we did not see a return. Now let’s see what Baltimore can do on offense.

Fans at the Ravens-Chiefs game observed a moment of silence for Lisa Lopez-Galvan, the fan killed at the team’s Super Bowl celebration.

Lopez-Galvan was the co-host of “A Taste of Tejano,” a celebration of Tejano, or “Tex-Mex,” music, on a weekly radio show on local station KKFI 90.1

The DJ played local weddings and promoted charity fundraisers.

Kansas City is the favorite (+500) to win the Super Bowl for a third straight season. Of all Super Bowl futures tickets, 17% are on the Chiefs.

Baltimore (+1000) is the fourth favorite with 9% of all futures tickets on the Ravens.

The first game of the NFL season will begin at 8:40 p.m. ET after a short delay for inclement weather.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers open their season Friday night in  São Paulo with thousands Birds backers and Cheeseheads happily winging it south.

But not everyone is happy about this special game, particularly Philadelphians who are being denied weeks of traditional Sunday afternoon football.

This Brazilian event counts as a home game for Philadelphia so Iggles fans will only get eight (and not nine) dates at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles real home opener is a “Monday Night Football” contest on Sept. 16 and their first Sunday afternoon at The Linc won’t come until Oct. 13, much to the chagrin of Iggles fans who punch a 9-to-5, Monday-through-Friday clock.

“If you’re a season ticket holder with a tailgating routine and preference for Autumn weather, this schedule straight up blows for you. I am sorry,” as the Phialdelphia sports fan site Crossing Broad politely put it.

Standard kickoffs will continue to start at the 35-yard line but the rest of the set-up looks pretty different, involving an area called the “landing zone” between the receiving team’s end zone and 20-yard line. You might have seen this zone highlighted by a rectangle in preseason broadcasts.

Here’s what the kickoff setup now looks like:

The 10 players on the kicking team will line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line and cannot move until the ball hits a player or the ground in the landing zone or the end zone.

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Swift is sporting a denim corset and denim shorts set paired with thigh-high red boots at tonight’s game in Kansas City, but she didn’t appear to be wearing any new — and unique — Chiefs gear to tonight’s game.

Last season, she made a habit of wearing some one-of-a-kind designs in Chiefs red and gold. She’ll have plenty of opportunities to break out some new fashion later this season.

The Chiefs and Ravens are back on the field to warm up, with kickoff pushed back to 8:40 p.m.

Metro Kansas City hopes to be rid of rain that poured down on the region through the late afternoon and early evening.

What started as a light shower around 6:15 p.m. CT turned to heavy storms by 6:30 — with less than an hour before the scheduled kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT.

Lightning strikes were visible from the stadium, with loud thunder claps sounding seconds after.

Press originally huddled in a tunnel onto the field have had to slowly retreat from the entrance, as the rain pelts sideways.

It was not immediately clear if the game start time would be delayed as a result of the weather. Warmups have been interrupted and the players have returned to their sidelines and locker rooms to wait out the storm.

Baltimore Ravens fans at the Reckless Shepherd Brewing Company and Kansas City Chiefs fans at Union Station are getting fired up to kick off the NFL season.

WBAL’s Jennifer Franciotti and KSHB’s Lindsay Shively join “TODAY” live from the pep rallies.

The most anticipated question surrounding the first NFL game of the season has finally been answered: Taylor Swift has made it to Arrowhead stadium.

Swift is on a break from her marathon Eras Tour, which picks back up in the States next month, giving her a few chances to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce as he and the Chiefs kick off football season.

Video via Rob Collins of FOX4 Kansas City.

Football is back, and it’s expected to bring with it record-breaking betting.

U.S. adults will wager $35 billion this NFL season, according to projections from the American Gaming Association.

That would mark more than 30% growth over the $26.7 billion Americans wagered over the course of last year’s season of the National Football League, according to the AGA, and would set a fresh record. Since last NFL season, Maine, North Carolina and Vermont have allowed sports betting operators to launch in their states. And court decisions have permitted Hard Rock International to relaunch sports betting in Florida.

Today, sports betting is live and legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C.

Read the full article here

A couple interesting stats that may be of particular interest to sports bettors:

• Mahomes is 3-1 vs. Baltimore straight up & against the spread since 2019
• Baltimore has not won in Kansas City since Oct. 7 2012
• Baltimore is 1-5 straight up vs. Kansas City since 2015
• Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has recorded 73+ receiving yads in each of his last six games vs. Baltimore.

Jackson and the Ravens were eliminated from the postseason last year in a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs at home in the conference title game. Will the reigning MVP get at least a bit of revenge Thursday night?

This is such a tough call, but I have to go with the team with the better signal-caller and that’s easily Mahomes. The Kansas City QB has three Super Bowls and might lead the Chiefs to a third consecutive title. The only edge I give Baltimore is at running back but Derrick Henry is now 30 and we’ve seen what happens when that position hits a certain age. Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco, 25, is entering his prime and has the potential to be among the NFL’s top running backs this season.

The Chiefs superstar QB — a three-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time NFL MVP — has arrived at Arrowhead Stadium ahead of his team’s matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.

Head coach Andy Reid previously announced Brown would not play in Week 1 after the receiver suffered a shoulder injury in the team’s preseason matchup with Jacksonville last month.

But, Brown should return sometime within the next couple of weeks.

While the Chiefs had several other players listed on the injury report, all were listed as full participants throughout the week.

Defensive lineman Chris Jones (shoulder), linebacker Nick Bolton (elbow), guard Joe Thuney (pectoral), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (triceps), cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (hamstring), cornerback Joshua Williams (hamstring), offensive lineman Wanya Morris (knee), and long snapper James Winchester (shoulder) all do not have a game status and are set to play. – Myles Simmons.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a remarkable year on and off the field. He led Kansas City in receiving yards (984), receptions (93), and targets (121), and his girlfriend Taylor Swift was in the audience 13 times last season, watching him shine.

The 14-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter has no shows scheduled for September so there is a chance that she could be at Thursday’s Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs game. – Mary Omatiga

No team in NFL history has won three consecutive Super Bowls. Will that change this season? The Chiefs have won eight straight division titles — the longest active streak in NFL — and have made the playoffs nine straight seasons (also the longest active streak in the NFL).

The Ravens signed All-Pro running back Derrick Henry in free agency on a two-year, $16 million deal that could be up to $20 million with incentives.

Henry comes over from the Tennessee Titans. He has rushed for at least 1,500 yards in three of his last five seasons. The 30-year-old led the league in rushing in both 2019 and 2020 and has at least six straight seasons with 10+ rushing scores.

The Chiefs won last season’s postseason matchup 17-10 on the road in Baltimore. In that game, the Ravens committed three turnovers (including two in the end zone) and raised questions about star QB Lamar Jackson.

Jackson, who claimed MVP last year, fell to only 2-4 all-time in the playoffs.

Mahomes was 30-for-39 for 241 yards and a touchdown in that game. Travis Kelce exploded for 11 catches, 116 yards and a score.