A toe changes overtime into a loss for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs–football is back, baby.
We’ve waited months for regular season football, and on Thursday, the wait finally came to an end. In a rematch of 2023’s AFC Championship Game, the Baltimore Ravens faced off against the Kansas City Chiefs; this time, at Arrowhead Stadium.
As the final seconds approached, Kansas City sat on a seven-point lead. Lamar Jackson delivered a vintage throw to Rashod Bateman to set his team up with a last-second red zone opportunity. It wasn’t enough to get it done, though.
On the final play of the contest, Jackson found Isaiah Likely in the end zone on a play that was initially ruled a touchdown. A further review showed the toe of Likely’s foot being on the white line, however.
No touchdown.
After four quarters of football, the Chiefs walked away with a 27-20 win over Baltimore. The rest of us walked away learning a few things about Kansas City’s team this season.
Three things we learned from the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 1 contest
As far as weapons go, Travis Kelce has been everything to Kansas City’s offense for a number of years. If Kelce wasn’t a member of the Chiefs in both 2022 and 2023, it’s hard to imagine the team having the same level of success they had given the other players Patrick Mahomes threw to.
On Thursday, Kansas City proved they no longer have to rely on Kelce to beat the top teams in the NFL. There’s weapons everywhere now.
Kelce ended his night with 34 yards on three catches. His receiving yardage was the fourth-most on the team, beating out running back Isaiah Pacheco by one yard. Even tight end Noah Gray finished with more yardage (37) through the air than Kelce.
This isn’t to hint at a decline in Kelce’s game, but rather to highlight the impressive weaponry as a whole in Kansas City that hasn’t been present in years.
Patrick Mahomes ended his night with 291 passing yards while completing 20 of his 28 pass attempts. Rashee Rice totaled 103 yards through the air on seven catches. Rookie Xavier Worthy hauled in a pair of passes for 47 yards and a touchdown.
It was a successful day in the office against a fierce defense without a big game from Travis Kelce.
Xavier Worthy is dangerous
It’s easier to win without big contributions from Travis Kelce when you have a game-changer like Xavier Worthy.
Worthy, drafted in the first-round of this year’s draft, scored the first touchdown of the season for Kansas City. He scored their last touchdown as well.
On top of hauling in two passes for 47 yards with a touchdown, the Chiefs’ rookie took a handoff 21 yards to the house. He ended his day with 68 scrimmage yards while finding the end zone twice.
If this is the type of production we can expect from the first-rounder moving forward, a three-peat for Kansas City is plenty reasonable–dare I say likely.
It remains to be seen if Worthy can prove consistent at the NFL-level, but the rookie showed he has the tools to take over a game with ease.
Jawaan Taylor is still jumpy
Although the Chiefs left Arrowhead with a victory on Thursday, there’s still things that need to be cleaned up. Right at the top of the list is Jawaan Taylor’s adept ability to move before the ball is snapped.
In 2023, Jawaan Taylor was responsible for 19 penalties – seven more than any offensive lineman in the National Football League. His double-digit false start penalties led all offensive linemen as well.
And those are just the ones that were called.
If Week 1 was any indication, Taylor has picked right back up where he left off last season. He began moving prior to the snap on more than one occasion, including after he had already been flagged for a false start.
At one point, Cris Collinsworth couldn’t help but point out a notable should-be false start from Taylor during NBC’s broadcast.
The six-year veteran must work on his timing; otherwise, he’ll be hurting the Chiefs more than helping. Taylor’s progress in this area as the season progresses will be worth keeping an eye on.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
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