Winners, losers as Chiefs beat Ravens 27-20 in season opener

Winners, losers as Chiefs beat Ravens 27-20 in season opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The reigning champs are 1-0…by a toe.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs opened the 2024 NFL regular season with a strong 27-20 home win over the Baltimore Ravens Thursday.

Lamar Jackson led the Ravens down the field on the opening drive before Derrick Henry punched it home, but they quickly fell behind not long after and didn’t have enough to overcome Kansas City.

It eventually came down to the final play when Jackson found tight end Isaiah Likely in the end zone as time expired for a would-be touchdown as John Harbaugh signaled to go for two. However, Likely’s toe was on the line following a review and the game ended.

Let’s analyze the match further with five winners and losers:

Look away, Buffalo Bills. Buffalo traded back in the 2024 draft that allowed Kansas City to take Worthy, a speedy wideout out of Texas. Worthy immediately made an impact on his first touch, running home a jet sweep from 21 yards out.

Later in the game, Worthy added a receiving touchdown when he beat Marlon Humphrey and Baltimore didn’t bring safety help. Mahomes easily found Worthy for a 35-yard score.

After not having enough reliable weapons last season, Mahomes may have a speedy gem in Worthy. Second-year wideout Rashee Rice led the way in the department with seven catches for 103 yards while Travis Kelce was held to only three catches for 34 yards.

The Ravens may have a clear-cut new TE1. Former All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler Mark Andrews had an extremely rough game, catching just two passes for 14 yards. He had a clear chance to get a first down on a 3rd and four play late in the game, but slipped and fell short after just a few yards.

Baltimore needed more from its veterans and didn’t get much from Andrews or new star running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for just 46 yards on 13 carries with the opening touchdown. Second-year wideout Zay Flowers also had a rough opener,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/winners-losers-chiefs-beat-ravens-042411618.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-09-06 04:24:11

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