As they say, it’s a game of inches.
But this one came down to about a singular inch.
Down by seven, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely caught what initially appeared to be a 10-yard touchdown with time expired in regulation. Head coach John Harbaugh signaled to go for two, as Baltimore wanted to eschew overtime to try and win with a conversion.
But replay showed Likely’s right foot came down about an inch out of the back of the end zone, making the pass incomplete and giving the Chiefs a 27-20 victory.
Baltimore had advanced from its own 13-yard line all the way to Kansas City’s 10-yard line with no timeouts. The possession began with 1:50 left on the clock.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson continued a strong performance with multiple scrambles for first downs before hitting Rashod Bateman for a 38-yard gain down to the 10. But an incomplete pass to an open Likely in the back of the end zone followed by an incompletion over the middle to Zay Flowers left the Ravens with just one play.
By the slimmest of margins, they could not connect.
On the other side, Chiefs first-round rookie receiver Xavier Worthy scored a pair of touchdowns in his debut. He displayed his considerable speed with a 21-yard run on his first touch to get into the end zone, tying the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.
Then Worthy caught a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Kansas City 27 points.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished 20-of-28 passing for 291 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Rashee Rice led the Chiefs with seven catches for 103 yards. Travis Kelce finished with three receptions for 34 yards.
Jackson was 26-of-41 for 273 yards with a touchdown and a lost fumble. He also was the team’s leading rusher, taking 16 carries for 122 yards.
Though Likely didn’t make the last grab, he had the best game of his young career — catching nine passes for 111 yards with a touchdown.
Notably, the Ravens were flagged several times for an illegal formation with an offensive tackle lined up too far in the backfield. Justin Tucker also missed a 53-yard field goal wide left in the first half. He was just 1-of-5 on field goals of at least 50 yards last year.
Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy exited with an eye injury and was ruled out. He was checked for a concussion and cleared.
Baltimore will have its home opener against Las Vegas next Sunday.
The Chiefs will remain at home to host the Bengals in Week 2.