The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t play a perfect game Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens, and there were plenty of mistakes. Still, thanks to their first-round pick, Xavier Worthy, he scored twice in his rookie debut, and despite the outcome of the game coming down to the final play, the boys in red got the job done.
In the first game since Super Bowl LVIII, Quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t play his best, and honestly, he missed some opportunities that would have made the outcome of this game never in doubt.
Instead, it went down to the final play of the fourth quarter, when it appeared Baltimore Ravens Tight End Isiah Likely scored a game-tying touchdown with no time on the clock. However, the NFL Gods stepped in, and his right toe was on the back-end line, and the game ended with the Chiefs winning 27-20.
The Chiefs’ offense had some bright spots. Rashee Rice led the team with seven catches and 107 yards, and Running Back Isiah Pacheco had 78 yards of total offense, but the star was rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
Playing his first regular-season game in a Chiefs uniform, his first touch was a 21-yard jet sweep in the first quarter. He turned on the jets, followed his blockers, and raced into the end zone untouched. In the fourth quarter, he was left unchecked, and Mahomes hit him for a 35-yard touchdown. On the play, Mahomes looked at Worthy before the snap, and he knew on the play there was no safety on that side of the field.
For the game, Mahomes completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards and the touchdown to Worthy. The bright spot was that the Chiefs moved the ball but dropped passes by Isiah Pacheco, Travis Kelce, and JuJu Smith-Schuster in the red zone prevented touchdowns, and the Chiefs had to settle for Harrison Butker field goals.
Defensively, I’m concerned about the linebackers. Nick Bolton had a terrible game, and I was surprised that rookie Safety Jaden Hicks wasn’t in the game covering Likely. He was one of their best defenders in the preseason, and if the Chiefs need his speed covering tight ends. This team missed Willie Gay, who signed a free-agent contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Still, the Ravens played the best game they could on the road in a hostile environment. Granted, Lamar Jackson missed two wide-open receivers on the final drive, but he had a chance to win the game on the final snap.
The Chiefs, though, were also resilient. Despite the errors, they never gave up the lead after tying the game at seven in the first quarter. It’s tough to defeat the Chiefs, and even if you give your best, you still will lose against a Patrick Mahomes team.
The Chiefs are lucky to win this game, and their struggles in the red zone were reminiscent of last season, but this was just one of those games. The best part about this offense is that they used Kelce as a decoy, which opened so much space in the middle of the field that I can’t wait until Hollywood Brown gets back on the field.
Still, the Ravens proved they can compete with the Chiefs, but they still must shore up their offensive line issues. Jackson threw for 273 yards and one touchdown, leading both teams in rushing with 122 yards.
Jackson played a terrific game and did something that hasn’t been done since 2021 against the Chief’s defense: they gave up over 400 yards in a game. Still, even though they had some blown coverages in the second half, they really couldn’t stop Jackson. Luckily, they won’t face a mobile quarterback of his caliber again this season unless they see the Ravens in the playoffs.
Head Coach Andy Reid has some retooling this week, and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has to use his personnel better, but playing against Jackson was a tall task. He learned a lot about his defense.
Next up, the Cincinnati Bengals come to Arrowhead a week from Sunday.
