The NFL’s 2024 season began with a photo finish victory for the Kansas City Chiefs as Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely came down with a toe out of bounds at the back of the end zone.
“Definitely nerve wracking, because it looked good from my angle on the sideline,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II admitted during his postgame press conference. “But then the first [instant replay] view you saw you could see the cleat.”
Mahomes also called the Ravens a “great football team” that he expects to see again in the playoffs before offering Likely a little piece of playful “advice.”
“He’s gotta wear white cleats next time,” Mahomes concluded, regarding Likely. “That’s my advice for him.”
Ravens’ Isaiah Likely Sends Strong Message to Chiefs After Week 1 Loss: ‘Good Luck in the Postseason’
During the Ravens postgame availability, Likely had an interesting response for Kansas City after a reporter asked if Baltimore could take anything away from nearly upsetting the Chiefs in their building.
“I’d say, this is probably the worst game that we are going to play all year, so if this is the best that they got, good luck in the postseason,” the pass-catcher responded.
Of course, anyone who follows the Chiefs knows that they tend to get better as the season progresses, playing their best football in December, January and February. This franchise wouldn’t have appeared in six straight AFC championship games if that wasn’t the case or won three out of the past five Super Bowls.
Still, it’s a nice piece of bulletin board material for KC should they end up facing off with the Ravens later this season.
On the flip side, to Likely’s credit, he did not complain or doubt the out of bounds decision to end the game.
Stating: “I mean, at this point you just gotta live with the call. You gotta look on, obviously watch the film — see what we can [do] better to not put ourselves in the situation where [we are leaving it] in the ref’s hands to be able to call that call and [end] the game. All I’ll say is watch the film and see what we can improve on and go into next week.”
Likely was an unexpected star of Week 1 for Baltimore. The rising second-string tight end gashed the Chiefs defense for 111 receiving yards and a touchdown off 9 catches and 12 targets.
Patrick Mahomes Finishes With Just Under 300 Passing Yards After First Half Turnover
Mahomes didn’t have a bad first half by any means — despite the Chiefs rushing for their first two touchdowns of the contest. The two-time MVP quarterback was efficient throughout, although he did make one mistake at the tail end of the first half.
After a missed field goal by the Ravens, Mahomes gave the ball right back with an interception on the first play of the drive. Not long after, Baltimore cashed in with three points to close out the half — giving veteran kicker Justin Tucker a second chance to make it a 13-10 game.
That mistake appeared to fuel Mahomes during the second half as he connected with a collection of weapons led by wide receiver Rashee Rice and rookie first rounder Xavier Worthy.
In the end, he finished with just under 300 yards and a touchdown through the air, a passer rating of 101.9 and just 8 incompletions on the night. Mahomes’ new favorite target, Rice, registered 7 catches for 103 of those 291 passing yards on night one.
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