The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Baltimore Ravens to open the 2024 NFL season on Thursday.
From the get, it seemed like Baltimore would be able to hang with Kansas City. That included a Derrick Henry five-yard touchdown run. Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy then tied things up with an electric run of his own.
The game itself came down to the end, with Baltimore missing out on potentially going for the win. Isaiah Likely’s catch in the end zone as time ran out was originally ruled a touchdown. Unfortunately for the Ravens, his toe was out of bounds. This secured a 27-20 Chiefs win and left fans in awe. Here, we look at eight winners and losers from this dramatic season opener.
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Winner: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
This All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones had it going early and often for Kansas City Thursday night. In reality, it was not a fair fight for Ravens guard Daniel Faalele. This included an early pressure on Lamar Jackson which resulted in an incompletion. Later in the first half, Jones recorded the first takeaway of the NFL season with a strip-sack on Jackson. This dude is absolutely going to be a force moving forward on the campaign. If what we saw Thursday is any indication, he’ll also be a top NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
Loser: Jawaan Taylor, Kansas City Chiefs
Jawaan Taylor had a combined 20 accepted penalties called against him in his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He could’ve had more called if the NFL actually enforced the rules we’re seeing in 2024. The high-priced left tackle was up to his old tricks again Thursday night, with multiple penalties. He also struggled big time in providing Mahomes protection against Baltimore’s defensive front. This might not have hurt the Chiefs too much on Thursday. But it is certainly something to watch.
Winner: Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Isaiah Likely showed promise in each of his first two NFL seasons. But most figured that the Coastal Carolina product was ready to break out even more in 2024. Boy, did we see flashes of that in a narrow loss to Kansas City. Likely finished with nine catches for 111 yards, including this brilliant 49-yard touchdown (watch here). Sure, his last-second catch was called out of bounds. But even then, that was a heck of a play from the youngster. Baltimore has something in this tight end.
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Loser: Daniel Faalele, Baltimore Ravens
A fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens back in 2022, Faalele had started all of one game throughout his first two NFL seasons. He’s a tackle by trade. Baltimore simply just didn’t put the former Minnesota star in a position to succeed against Chris Jones by moving him inside. It’s not a position Faalele should be playing. He certainly shouldn’t be going one-on-one against Jones. The end result was Faalele getting worked to the tune of a sack allowed and five QB pressures. That’s just gross.
Winner: Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs
One touch. One touchdown. One highlight-reel play. That represented the first quarter for this former Texas star wide receiver. Worthy took a reverse from Patrick Mahomes and turned it up the field for a 21-yard touchdown run (watch here) to tie this game up at seven in the opening stanza. In the process, the first-round pick more than displayed the play-making ability that attracted him to the Chiefs in the first place. If that weren’t enough, Worthy pretty much put this one on ice with a 35-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. How did other teams let Kansas City snag this dude up?
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Loser: Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Andrews was involved in a serious automobile accident during the offseason. He was just recently cleared to play. Perhaps, that played a role in the All-Pro tight end showing rust Thursday night against Kansas City. But Andrews did not provide Lamar Jackson with the safety valve he’s become accustomed to. That included Andrews catching just two for 14 yards in the seven-point loss. Baltimore will need more from him moving forward. That’s for sure.
Winner: Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
Trent McDuffie has more than proven himself to be among the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Primarily, his ability to make game-changing plays. Last season alone, the former first-round pick recorded four sacks whie forcing six forced fumbles. This wasn’t necessarily the case Thursday night. However, he headed an otherwise questionable Chiefs cornerback group that yielded nine receptions for 92 yards on 16 targets to Ravens wide receivers. With the talent Kansas City has on other parts of its defense, similar performances to this moving forward will make this unit dominant.
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Loser: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
First off, Lamar Jackson put up a valiant effort in defeat Thursday night. The Ravens were an inch away from potentially going for the win. He also tallied 395 total yards. However, three plays stand out here. His first half lost fumble resulted directly in three Kansas City points. Then, late in that final drive, two missed opportunities cost Baltimore. Jackson had Isaiah Likely open in the corner of the end zone on second down, missing him in the process. The very next play saw Jackson miss Zay Flowers with no Chiefs defender near the receiver. Going up against a dynastic team, you can’t miss on three plays like this. That was the difference between winning and losing.