NFL: Kansas City Chiefs win season opener as late score shuts out Baltimore Ravens

The Kansas City Chiefs got their NFL title defense off to a winning start, as the Baltimore Ravens had a touchdown run returned before the game ended.

The Chiefs, who are trying to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, led 27-20 when the Ravens got the ball back with two minutes left.

Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to the Chiefs’ 10-yard line in less than 30 seconds and they had three attempts to reach the end zone.

The first two passes were incomplete and the third was caught in the back of the end zone by Isaiah Likely and awarded a touchdown.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh signaled his team to go for a two-point conversion to win the game, rather than scoring an extra point and sending the game to overtime.

But replays showed Likely’s toe on the end line and the score was disallowed, leaving the Kansas City crowd, including Travis Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift, to celebrate the 27-20 victory.

The 2024 season opener was a repeat of last season’s AFC Championship game, meaning the Chiefs have won five of their six meetings with the Ravens since quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jackson entered the league.

In that span, the Ravens have twice finished the regular season with the NFL’s best record, yet have failed to reach the Super Bowl. The Chiefs, whom Jackson once described as “our kryptonite,” have reached four of their last five games, winning three.