The Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl Champions after beating the Baltimore Ravens last year in the AFC Championship game and the 49ers in the Super Bowl LVIII. This year, the Chiefs opened with a heated game against the Ravens to kick off the season.
The Baltimore Ravens started with the ball but got flagged within the first minute for illegal formation. Only a few minutes later the Ravens committed the same foul, but it was declined because of offsetting penalties. Despite the opening display of brutality, the Ravens put the first score on the board with a touchdown from running back Derrick Henry.
Kansas’ first play was a pass to wide receiver Rashee Rice, who currently holds the most yards by a Chiefs wide receiver since 2018. Patrick Mahomes faked a pass to Isiah Pacheco on the fifth play but flipped the ball to rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy to put the Chiefs on the board with a touchdown, tying up the score 7-7.
Worthy made an amazing debut as a first-round draft pick (28th overall). Back at the NFL Combine in March, he made the fastest 40-yard dash time in NFL history with 4.21 seconds. Worthy’s 21-yard touchdown was also 4.21 seconds.
To start the second quarter, The Kansas City Chiefs g0t their first flag of the night with Travis Kelce holding, setting the Chiefs back a few yards. Shortly after, the Chiefs used their first timeout to decide on a 28-yard field goal by Harrison Butker, which he accomplished, making the score 10-7.
Later in the quarter, with 5 minutes left in the half, Kansas City went for the 31-yard field goal and extended their lead to 13-7. The ball was handed over to the Ravens and they went for a 53-yard field goal, which their kicker Justin Tucker missed.
The Ravens tried to go for a touchdown but after being blocked by the Chiefs, they opted for a 25-yard-field-goal attempt and settled the score to 13-10.
Kansas had the ball to start the third quarter and immediately went for the touchdown by Isiah Pacheco – and an extra point – setting the score at 20-10. The ball was handed to the Ravens, who, in a matter of four plays, lost the ball to the Chiefs. It did not last long though, because Baltimore got the ball back four plays later.
The Ravens’ Isaiah Likely made a touchdown within the first 15 seconds of the fourth quarter, making it apparent to the Chiefs that they weren’t going to back down without a fight. This made the score 20-17, with the Chiefs still leading.
With ten minutes left in the game, Chiefs’ Xavier Worthy made his second touchdown of the night. The Ravens took it as an opportunity to practice one of their trick plays; quarterback Lamar Jackson faked a pass to Derrick Henry before getting sacked.
The Ravens, after getting sacked twice in a row, decided to go for a 32-yard field goal, putting the score at 27-20 with 4 minutes left in the game. The Ravens made an end-zone pass with 20 seconds left in the game, but their attempts were futile, and the Chiefs came out with a win.
Will this win give Kansas City the momentum they need to take it all the way to becoming triple Super Bowl Champions? Or was this game just a fluke? Only time will tell.
