NFL Takeaways: Worthy wows in speedy debut as Chiefs edge Ravens by a toe

You’ve got to hand it to the Kansas City Chiefs. They knew exactly what everyone most wanted to see Thursday night as they ushered in a new NFL season at home against the Baltimore Ravens. And in their first drive of the game, Andy Reid wasted no time dialing up the play to quench our collective curiosity after an off-season of wondering, Just how fast is that new guy, anyway?

That new guy, of course, is rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, Kansas City’s 28^th overall pick last April and — as Thursday night’s electric debut suggests — the key to opening up a whole new chapter of the Reid-Mahomes playbook this fall.

Worthy, who wowed at the scouting combine with his historic 40-yard dash time and has understandably earned plenty of Tyreek Hill comparisons since joining the Chiefs, showcased his incredible speed on his first career NFL touch. Early in Kansas City’s opening drive, Worthy caught a quick flip from Patrick Mahomes in the backfield and sprinted 21-yards into the endzone to even up the score 7-7.

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And he didn’t slow down all game, often serving as a speedy diversion to draw defenders away from where Mahomes was targeting other weapons like Rashee Rice or to give star running back Isiah Pacheco a little more room to roam. Worthy did his best work in the biggest moments, also catching two passes on three targets for 47 yards and the Chiefs’ final touchdown to seal the back-to-back champions’ season-opening victory by a score of 27-20.

And while the Ravens fought back in what was a back-and-forth affair that came right down to the wire — or, rather, a big toe — Baltimore could never quite catch up to Kansas City.

Defences, you’ve been warned. The Chiefs’ offence is so back.

Here’s a collection of our top takeaways from Thursday’s thrilling season-opener.

Ravens’ late rally foiled by a toe

Yeah, it’s a cliché, but football really is a game of inches. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely learned that the hard way Thursday night when his remarkable touchdown grab with zeroes on the clock was overturned after video review revealed the tip of his right cleat landed just out of bounds. A good catch would’ve brought the score to 27-26. The camera panned to head coach John Harbaugh holding up two fingers to indicate they’d forgo the shot at overtime and opt for a two-point conversion for the win. We’ll never know if that gamble paid off, as the overturned catch saw the Chiefs clinch the victory.

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“I thought Isaiah played a great football game I was proud of him and lot of others guys too,” Harbaugh told reporters after the game.

In all fairness to Likely, his overturned catch came after a few other missed opportunities in the final series, including Jackson missing a wide-open Zay Flowers in the middle of the endzone with just 10 seconds left — another ‘what if’ to ruminate on for Baltimore faithful searching for solutions about how to beat the Chiefs.

“Gotta wear white cleats next time,” Mahomes said of Likely’s misstep. “That’s my advice for him.”

Does Jackson have a new favourite weapon?

Like Mahomes and Travis Kelce, the bond between Lamar Jackson and Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has been pretty special. So, when Andrews went down with a leg injury last year, it took a little time for the Ravens offence to adjust to life without their TE1. That’s when Likely stepped in, and seriously stepped up, in his place and enjoyed some breakout success. But with Andrews fully healthy to start this season, many expected Likely to take a step back.

That’s not what happened Thursday night, though, with Likely leading all Ravens pass-catchers in targets (12), receptions (nine), and receiving yards (111) with a touchdown, to boot. Is this a sign of an even greater connection to come?

Jackson’s on a mission to run

After last year’s offensive playbook prioritized Jackson’s arm over his legs in an attempt to open up Baltimore’s offence, Thursday’s season opener saw a much more run-heavy game from the dual-threat quarterback.

Jackson appeared more empowered to call his own shots at many times during the game, and used his legs more than in any contest last season. The two-time MVP ran 16 times against the Chiefs, racking up 122 yards. And he wasn’t the only Raven who thrived in the run game…

King Henry looks right at home with Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens’ game-opening possession started out a little messy with flags flying in all directions — please, no more illegal formation calls! — but it ended in perhaps the most fitting way possible: With a pair of runs from Jackson to get Baltimore into the redzone and a signature Derrick Henry surge down the middle to secure the first score of the 2024 NFL season.

The touchdown was the perfect exclamation point to conclude what was a statement-making opening drive — a 75-yard marathon that ate up nearly half of the first quarter. The drive featured Henry prominently, with Jackson also running early and often to set the tone for what was a wild game.

When Henry signed his two-year deal with Baltimore in the early days of free agency, it looked like a match made in heaven. And it was clear right from kick-off Thursday night that Henry was feeling right at home in his new offence.

Drops still haunt Chiefs

As fun as this season kickoff was, it wasn’t always pretty. Because while Worthy’s arrival ushers in a Chiefs offence that more closely resembles the one from three seasons ago, there’s still some signs of last year’s struggles — including a case of the drops. The Chiefs led the league in dropped passes last season, and Thursday saw them rack up a few to start off the new campaign — including one by an open Pacheco, one by the ever-reliable Kelce, and one that could’ve been a score had Juju Smith-Schuster just been able to secure it. Mahomes, who finished the game with 291 passing yards, also threw an uncharacteristic pick in the middle of the field, snatched up by Ravens star Roquan Smith. Rust, maybe, but the drops could be something to watch.

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