Defending champion Kansas City edged Baltimore 27-20 in Thursday’s 105th US National Football League (NFL) season-opener after a video review denied the Ravens a touchdown on the game’s final play.
Two-time NFL Most Valuable Players Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Lamar Jackson of Baltimore started at quarterback in a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship game and produced a spectacular start to the campaign.
Baltimore’s Justin Tucker kicked a 32-yard field goal with 4:54 remaining to lift the Ravens within 27-20 and later Mahomes made a great catch of his own deflected pass to prevent an interception just before the two-minute warning, allowing a Chiefs punt that left the Ravens 87 yards away from a tying touchdown.
Photo: AFP
Jackson threw a 38-yard pass to Rashod Bateman to put Baltimore at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line in the dying seconds, but missed on two passes to open receivers in the end zone.
On the final play, Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely caught a Jackson pass in the back of the end zone but his toe came down on the out of bounds line and what referees called a touchdown on the field was overruled on video review, giving the Chiefs a dramatic triumph.
Mahomes is trying to lead the Chiefs to an unprecedented Super Bowl “three-peat” and fourth title in six seasons while Jackson hopes to guide the Ravens to their first Super Bowl title since the 2012 campaign.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Mahomes said.
“It’s a game of inches. That’s what they say. That’s a great football team and to come out here and get a win, it’s a great start to the season,” he added.
“Our guys responded well,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of things to work on but that’s a great start.”
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