Q1 15:00Mike Tirico:It must be returned. Touchbacks come not to the 25 but the 30, and the feeling is we might see a lot of touchbacks to start the season. Deontay Hardy back deep for Baltimore along with John Kelly. It's 5 months. The party ends with a table for 2 on Bourbon Street. The journey to Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans begins. The 105th NFL season is underway with a touchback. The ball comes to the 30, and here's the Ravens Ravens offense. Lamar Jackson, the Bills. Derrick Henry, Alabama. Zay Flowers, Boston College.
Q1 14:32Mike Tirico:Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina.
Q1 14:30Cris Collinsworth:Ronnie Stanley, University of Notre Dame.
Q1 14:26Cris Collinsworth:Patrick Mahomes, Westlake High School.
Q1 14:24Mike Tirico:Mahomes, one of the 3 changes on the offensive line. One thing that doesn't change, this is as loud a building as there is in the NFL. Here we go. Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, yard and a half, not much more. The handoff coming to the man who won the MVP, starting his 7th year with the Ravens. He won the Heisman at Louisville, now 2 league MVPs. He's Dropped weight, he's taken more command of the offense in this preseason. We visited with an energized, enthused Lamar Jackson last night when the Ravens got to town. Big receiving threat, Zay Flowers, the rookie star a year ago. The big turnover in the championship game. Out of the backfield, it's Justice Hill. First flag of the season's down. Flowers on cue, can't Not much. Drue Tranquill, the stop. Sean Hockuley is the referee for this kickoff game. And asking Andy Reid if he wants to push him back 5 or have 3rd and 7.
Q1 13:29Cris Collinsworth:Illegal formation. Left tackle number 79 is lined up in the backfield.
Q1 13:26Mike Tirico:It's a 5-yard penalty. Replay, second down.
Q1 13:23Cris Collinsworth:I guess they're serious, Mike. This— we've been told that they're gonna call this very closely, and he's got to be across the back end line to the center. Apparently not. So we are starting off making a statement from the officials.
Q1 13:13Mike Tirico:Ronnie Stanley, the veteran of that front, injured much of last year. Grandy retakes the penalty. Second and 13. Mark Andrews in the slot closest to you. Lamar chased, throws it to Hill. Complete. Got about the penalty yardage back. Not much more. Chamarri Conner It's the starting nickel, sets up third down.
Q1 12:55Cris Collinsworth:Uh, here's going to be the story of the night for Kansas City. You've got Chris Jones who's going to be working against not one but two replacement guards for the Ravens. And right away goes around Belele and they're just going to have to be better than that. That was everybody's concern. Would this offensive line that had to replace three players be able to hold up against Chris Jones and the Chiefs?
Q1 12:40Mike Tirico:Third and 11. The heat's coming. Lamar gets out of the way, flips it to Justice Hill. Had to get to the first down line at the 40, and he did. Hill out of bounds for a first down. So a 3rd and 11. Jackson escapes, and the Ravens get a big gain to the 47-yard line.
Q1 12:29Cris Collinsworth:So Derrick Henry comes in for the first play of the game and not much of a gain. And Justice Hill comes in to be that receiver. Did he go out? He did not. First down, Ravens.
Q1 12:20Mike Tirico:Big pickup of 18 yards for the 6th-year man out of Oklahoma State. He backs up. Man, this is 1,000-yard after 1,000-yard 1,000-yard season. Henry, 8 years with Tennessee. Got a lead blocker and he's got it. Also got an armful of Chiefs defense. No gain on that one. Chris Jones there. Here are the rest of the KC defenders. George Karlaftis, Purdue. Chris Jones, Mississippi State. Tershawn Wharton, Missouri S&T. Michael Danna, Michigan. Nick Bolton, Frisco Lone Star High School. Drue Tranquill, Notre Dame. Leo Chenal, Wisconsin. Trent McDuffie, Washington.
Q1 11:54Mike Tirico:Jaylen Watson, Washington State. Steve Spagnuolo, outstanding job. Won a fourth Super Bowl as a defensive coordinator last year. They're missing Lajarius Sneed, one of their star corners, traded to Tennessee in the offseason. Second and 9 from Jackson. Lamar Jackson deflected and it's incomplete. Flag is down. Leo Chenal chasing after it after getting the tip. And it looks like this is going to be another illegal procedure on Baltimore. And he might decline this. Let's see.
Q1 11:32Cris Collinsworth:Illegal formation by the offense. Number 65 is lined up in the backfield.
Q1 11:28Mike Tirico:This penalty is declined. It's third down.
Q1 11:26Cris Collinsworth:So, Mike, let's think about this for a second. That means they gave him a warning on the first one and didn't call the first one. So basically the officials in their mind could have called this penalty 3 times in the football game. The Ravens are going to have to adjust.
Q1 11:16Mike Tirico:And the deal is, if you drew a line through the belt line of the center, The guy's helmet's got to be there. You can stand a little bit back, but not too far back. They want to make it fair for the defense as well. Message sent to the league, all 30 other teams. Third and 9. Keeps bringing for— another flag is down. Jackson throws. Zay Flowers downfield and just in the air. It's incomplete, and a second flag is thrown. Jaylen Watson in that spot where Lajarius Sneed used to be, was there in coverage. Two separate fouls, one at the line, line, and that one downfield. There were fouls by both teams on the play.
Q1 10:37Mike Tirico:Replay, third down.
Q1 10:34Cris Collinsworth:Wow. I mean, they are calling this Razor sharp here. And whatever that is, that's a foul there as well. So take a huge play off the books for the Ravens down the field with what should be the 4th time that that would have been called.
Q1 10:22Mike Tirico:Chris, you just read John Harbaugh's lips before those replays started. Just tell Ronnie to move up. Ronnie Stanley's gonna move up to be even with the guard next to him. So we do it again. 3rd and 9. Might be back again here on this one. No flag is thrown. Jackson from the pocket for Flowers. He's got it at the 33-yard line of Kansas City and a first down. Zay Flowers, 77 catches in his rookie season. Big hit there for 19.
Q1 10:01Cris Collinsworth:I tell you, this Zay Flowers is something else. We all know about the championship game, gonna run a little crossing route here across the field, but his elite quickness makes it so difficult to try and can stay with him. That is Kansas City's best by far, Trent McDuffie, who was really no match.
Q1 9:48Mike Tirico:Two big third-down conversions, 18 yards on the outlet to Hill, 19 to Flowers on that one. Ravens at the Chiefs 33. Lamar Jackson out of the pistol, Henry to the right. Derrick Henry lowers the shoulder and gets down to the 27-yard line. Chris, if you're a defender, you're a linebacker, you've never seen anything like that in the backfield. No quarterback has run like Lamar since the Michael Vick days. No running back's been that big and that good like Derrick Henry.
Q1 9:30Cris Collinsworth:And think about what you're having to face now defensively if you're the Chiefs. You've got a 250-pound back that's going one way and the possibility of Lamar Jackson going the other way. You can't help on Henry, so somebody's going to have to make some one-on-one tackles on him tonight.
Q1 9:17Mike Tirico:After the gain of 6, there he goes again straight ahead. Leo Chenal 54, joining Bryan Cook. And the big fella's in there for Kansas City. Chanel's a big linebacker. He's the same size as Derrick Henry.
Q1 9:07Cris Collinsworth:And what's amazing to me about Derrick Henry is here's a guy that weighs 250 pounds. Remember Edgerin James and how he ran so straight up and down? I mean, can you imagine if he really got lowered behind his pads and slammed into that, that pile? Third and short now. I would imagine we see him again, although Lamar Jackson may surprise the pack.
Q1 8:51Mike Tirico:Third and a yard, and Jackson pulls it, keeps it, gets a block downfield, and Lamar Jackson takes it into the red zone. And there is the combo that we've been talking about all week. We want to see it. There it was.
Q1 8:38Cris Collinsworth:Well, and what makes the play interesting is they get the lead blocker. So Isaiah Likely is going to go out and lead block and not block the end guy. The end guy in the line of scrimmage is thinking he's going to get kicked out. Instead, he runs all the way around the corner to get the edge and pick up the big first down. And do we want to talk about little skinny Lamar Jackson yet? Supposedly, people that have seen this guy run in practice go, look out.
Q1 8:22Mike Tirico:Speed is back. He's dropped about a dozen pounds, down to 205. Henry out of the backfield. And Jackson running with guards pulling. And Lamar taking off, propelling himself to the 5-yard line. He's feeling it with a good first down game.
Q1 8:10Cris Collinsworth:One of the things you're going to get is, again, Derrick Henry going one way and a lot of pulling offensive linemen going the other way. So defensively, look how spread they are. That means there's 5 guys on one side of the field and you've got to handle Lamar Jackson in open space with lead blockers in front. So far this offense looks impressive.
Q1 7:55Mike Tirico:Isaiah Likely, 80 good red zone targets, the tight end at the The screen, second and two. Henry running right to the goal line and in. Let's see. Yes, he is in for the touchdown on his first drive. King Henry looks good in the Ravens purple.
Q1 7:39Cris Collinsworth:The snap, and as you turn around, I want you to think about what the Chiefs saw there. Daniel Faalele at 380 pounds, Patrick Ricard at 300 pounds, and Derrick Henry running the football at 250 pounds. No, thank you.
Q1 7:28Mike Tirico:5-time first-team All-Pro Justin Tucker on for the extra point out of the hold of Jordan Stout. Operation's good. The Ravens picked up 3 first downs on that drive, as many as they did in the AFC Championship Game. And Derrick Henry, the new Raven, he's the first to score in the name of the play Andy Reid diagrammed it, and that diagram Patterson's Rams, you saw part of the design of the Chiefs championship ring. It is big, it's beautiful. That's all old news now. That's all memories. It is a new season. Baltimore strikes first. First dynamic kickoff for Justin Tucker. Let's see how the Ravens play it. In that zone, you've got to return it. Here we go with the return. And it's Carson Steele, the undrafted rookie who electrified Chiefs camp, takes it to the 33 for the KC offense. Patrick Mahomes II, Texas Tech.
Q1 6:51Mike Tirico:Kingsley Suamataia, BYU. Joe Tooney, North Carolina State. Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma. Trey Smith, Tennessee. Jawaan Taylor, Florida. He's on one side, Suamataia is on the other side. That is the rookie. A lot of attention on the starting left tackle. Slant right away, complete to Rashee Rice. Very close to— in fact, has the first down at the 44-yard line. Patrick Mahomes off to the fast start with his receiver. Year 7 as the starting quarterback, won his third Super Bowl MVP. Two seasons ago won his second league MVP. Look at those gaudy numbers, but the stats weren't very gaudy last year. The Chiefs have added speed, trying to get the offense back to that high-flying form. One throw complete, second throw, Mahomes is hit and brought down. Second roll to no gain, so it will not be a sack. But Trenton Simpson, the new linebacker, is the starter and got Mahomes there, Chris.
Q1 6:16Cris Collinsworth:Well, they had a chance on that one. Mahomes just didn't see— I think it was Worthy running across the field and really had created a huge gap for himself in there. Of course, Xavier Worthy, the fastest guy ever at the combine.
Q1 6:08Mike Tirico:I came close. No, no, you were fast. Isiah Pacheco, who is strong and big and adds a physical element moment to this Kansas City offense. A gain of 5 on that second down run, bring up third and about 5.
Q1 5:57Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, they like Isiah Pacheco so much they found another one in Carson Steele, young guy that made an impression during the course of the preseason. But this is one of the elements of this offense, and that I think now we're seeing with Baltimore, this power running that allows you to go play action and get creative in the passing game with these great quarterbacks.
Q1 5:41Mike Tirico:Officially third and six. Move Rice, comes underneath, and there goes Rashee Rice! Rice into the secondary to the 36-yard line. Gain of 16 and a Kansas City first down. Flag down at the back end of this.
Q1 5:28Mike Tirico:It's a 15-yard penalty added to the end of the play.
Q1 5:26Cris Collinsworth:It's first down.
Q1 5:26Mike Tirico:They're chasing Roquan Smith, the All-Pro linebacker.
Q1 5:24Cris Collinsworth:Nobody does this better than the Kansas City Chiefs. They pick out one guy to go high-low against, and you'll see Rashee Rice was the guy underneath and Worthy was the one on top. And then it's just a choice. And there's Smith and the foul. And this is kind of the way the championship game started as well, if you remember, up and down the field very quickly early in that one.
Q1 5:11Mike Tirico:Grab at the nameplate there. That gets you to 15. It wasn't inside the opening. This is the speedy man, Xavier Worthy, the fastest man to the end zone right away. His first touch, a Kansas City touchdown. Oh man. We needed our auto racing guys here to call this one.
Q1 4:51Cris Collinsworth:Watch him take this turn. 4.21 seconds. No more worries about whether or not Kansas City has any speed. Beep beep, here he comes. Golly.
Q1 4:43Mike Tirico:Xavier Worthy, Harrison Butker at snap Good job with the hold. The extra point is good. X is spot on to get this one started. All even at 7. You're watching the NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV. Hallmark Plus. Just kick back and ease into the season. Or just after the thunderbolts from the sky that delayed us 20 minutes, a couple of thunderbolts from Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry on the ground. And then Xavier Worthy Patrick Mahomes, electrifying speed to the house. 5 plays, 67 yards, 2 minutes and 19 seconds. 7 apiece. Butker kicks this into the end zone and the Ravens will take a knee. That touchback brings it to the 30. Here's Melissa Stark.
Q1 4:13Melissa Stark:Mike, after the Ravens' opening drive, 2 members of the Chiefs defense, Trent McDuffie and Malik Herring, went into the medical tent. The unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant also went in there. Official word from the team, they were both evaluated for a concussion. Concussion, and they have both been cleared to play.
Q1 4:03Mike Tirico:Herring on the sideline, McDuffie is out on the field. And Chris, that is huge for this Kansas City defense.
Q1 4:00Cris Collinsworth:It is certainly huge because they were not able to retain Lajarius Sneed. And I thought Trent McDuffie and Lajarius Sneed played about as well together on the back end of that Kansas City defense as you could possibly play. Had a lot to do with that run.
Q1 3:50Mike Tirico:From the 30, Jackson floats it out. Likely the tight end's got it across the 45. Gain of 15, first down. Isaiah Likely Likely third year out of Coastal Carolina. And Chris, when Mark Andrews was hurt at the end of last year, Likely stepped up.
Q1 3:41Cris Collinsworth:He did. And but really what's happening here is the Ravens have already established the running game, and so Isaiah Likely was able to get a one-on-one route down the field as those linebackers step up. You don't just tackle Derrick Henry, you got to get a little forward momentum going, right? And that's what makes it so difficult to cover one-on-one on the back end. Likely's like having a receiver out there.
Q1 3:26Mike Tirico:Henry, this time stopped at the line of scrimmage. Keeps in there Derrick Nnadi, the 7-year man out of Florida State, making number 91 there for the stop. No gain.
Q1 3:17Cris Collinsworth:Well, early in that first drive, we saw Chris Jones kind of take over and be able to make a few plays in there. He's back in now. It's a second and long situation. This is when you don't want to play against the Kansas City Chiefs, really either one of these teams. But now you sit Steve Spagnuolo where he can begin to blitz some of those guys out of the secondary, get all the exotic things that led them to for a championship last year.
Q1 2:59Mike Tirico:Justice Hill is the back. He brings 3, Jackson fakes it out. Flowers goes down low to avoid the McDuffie hit. The first two exchange pleasantries before 3rd and 6. Offensive coordinator for Baltimore, Todd Monken, year 2, good college run at University of Georgia, interviewed for a couple head coaching jobs with the Chargers, the Panthers, back here running the Ravens offense this year.
Q1 2:43Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and one thing we've seen out of Lamar Jackson is because he looks pretty confident in this offense in year 2. He looks a little more in control of it at the line of scrimmage, directing traffic and making some decisions out there.
Q1 2:33Mike Tirico:He needs 6. Pressure comes. Hill out of the backfield. Beautiful open field tackle by Justin Reid, the safety. Stops him after a gain of 2, and Baltimore will punch it away.
Q1 2:24Cris Collinsworth:That's what you have to do when you're playing Baltimore. Baltimore is a team that prides itself self on beating you up. You got to turn around and beat them up. I thought in the championship game last year, Travis Kelce was really the guy that kind of set that tone early in that ballgame. And right there, one more time with Justin Reid.
Q1 2:10Mike Tirico:Year 3 for Jordan Stout as the Baltimore punter. Mecole Hardman back there for K-State. Stout drops the nose down. Try to pin them back deep. Hartman, fair catch at the 10. The kick is 40. It's all net. Kansas City will take over at their own 7 for drive number 2 of the Chiefs' season, trying to get Super Bowl number 3 in a row. Taylor Swift sitting in a suite right below us. First down for Mahomes. Scans and dumps it out to Pacheco in the open field. Isiah Pacheco, big gain of 23. Shown the sideline by Brandon Stephens, but Malik Harrison missed the tackle. Tackle.
Q1 1:35Cris Collinsworth:I tell you, they are just so good at this, Mike. This is a team that uses their backs and their tight ends to chip on those edge players. So their best 3 offensive linemen are the 3 interior guys. They help the 2 tackles, but if there's nobody to block, like there was at that time, they just sneak them out and they make big plays just like that. Mahomes knows how to work 33.
Q1 1:21Mike Tirico:Mahomes in the middle. Rice on the run again. Rashee Rice, 19 more yards into the Ravens' side at the 48-yard line.
Q1 1:15Cris Collinsworth:This offense is humming right away, and the beat goes on for Rashee Rice, a guy with 21 explosive plays, tied for the most on this team, and so many of them catch and run. Roquan Smith trying to hang with him, just not going to happen. And you're talking talking about one of the most athletic linebackers in the game. And boy, I tell you, Roquan can work the middle of the field a little like a Travis Kelce can.
Q1 0:58Mike Tirico:23 and 19, and now subjected on the ground. Kyle Hamilton says enough of this. The safety with the big hit. Here is the Baltimore defense. Nnamdi Madubuike, McKinney North High School. Michael Pierce, Samford. Travis Jones, UConn. Adafe Owae, Penn State. Roquan Smith, Georgia. Trenton Simpson, Clemson.
Q1 0:44Cris Collinsworth:Kyle Van Noy, Brigham University.
Q1 0:37Mike Tirico:Number 1 scoring defense in the NFL last year, Rice again. This time his defense is all over it, limiting the game to just the yard. When you saw the names go by in that lineup, you heard Nnamdi Madubuike Madubuike, Justin Madubuike, changing his name. Justin Outstanding was, uh, the name he was known by. Outstanding player who has made a household name for himself, Chris, with terrific play the last couple of years.
Q1 0:22Cris Collinsworth:Believe me, everybody in the league knows what his name is. He has been fantastic. 13 sacks, the most for any interior defensive lineman. Think of Aaron Donald and those guys. That was a lot of people in that category.
Q1 0:12Mike Tirico:Now Nnamdi Madubuike, Samaje Pirae is in. Chiefs just picked him up. The pressure's on Mahomes. Jones, and he is stopped. David Ojabo. It's been a long time for Ojabo. He tore his Achilles on his pro day at Michigan a couple of years ago. Only 2 sacks in his first 2 years, but he comes up with a stop there here at the end of the quarter.
Q2 14:58Cris Collinsworth:He has to be so pumped. You talked about it, 2 years of trying to get back on the football field, and big time here on opening night.
Q2 14:53Mike Tirico:Clock runs down, first quarter all day. That's Matt Araiza's KC Punt speaking his NFL debut 2 years after being drafted by Buffalo in 2022. Bills released him that August. He was named in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault. He never faced criminal charges. He was dropped from the civil lawsuit last December. KC signed him in February. His first kick as a Chief here is a touchback. It'll come out to the 20. We're back in 30 seconds after this from AWS.
Q2 14:36Cris Collinsworth:And we've got a change already on the offensive line for the Baltimore Ravens. Roger Rosengarten comes in at the right tackle position. Not a total surprise. Patrick McCary, the veteran, started there in the national championship game for the Washington Huskies last year.
Q2 14:24Mike Tirico:Lamar Jackson making an adjustment there at the line. Fake it, in trouble, ball is out! Jackson nearly fell on it. It's still loose at the bottom of that pile. The pressure came from Chris Jones, and Kansas City has recovered. The All-Pro got in there, and the Chiefs have forced the game's first turnover. Great job by Spagnuolo. What a they do?
Q2 14:05Cris Collinsworth:They bring in the backup right tackle, the rookie, and go, okay, well, you want a little welcome to the NFL? Here comes Chris Jones. And it pays off right now. The offensive line is going to continue to be the issue at some point. If they can't block Chris Jones, they've got to start thinking about whether they want to get Lamar Jackson out of that pocket and a little bit more on the edge.
Q2 13:51Mike Tirico:It was the first-round pick a year ago, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who got in at the bottom of the pile Wan'Dale got the recovery. Jackson came down awkwardly on that arm. Pacheco on the Wildcat, fakes to Mahomes, chased down from behind. It'll be a gain of 3 as Adafe'iowe came off his defensive edge for Baltimore.
Q2 13:40Cris Collinsworth:And Mike, you know as well as I do, once Andy Reid's offenses get inside—
Q2 13:35Mike Tirico:Travis Kelce guilty of the hold.
Q2 13:32Cris Collinsworth:That's where they like to try to go to war work. And this is a little bit of the same issue that the Ravens have. They have receiving tight ends, and as they try to make these blocks against these huge defensive ends on the outside, sometimes— listen, everybody holds, all right? And sometimes you get caught and sometimes you don't. But I'm thinking Travis is going, I held a lot worse than that before.
Q2 13:19Mike Tirico:There you go. So drops it back to the 24-yard line, and Mahomes could check one to the backfield, almost in stride, and he can't take it all the way. Marlon Humphrey was buzzing over and coverage, but a free release for Pacheco out of the backfield.
Q2 13:07Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, this is one that maybe Kelce makes, but running backs generally don't. You almost want to stop him out there. I know that Patrick Mahomes could feel Marlon Humphrey coming over, and he's going, uh-huh, it was a good throw, but sometimes you got to help running backs a little bit too.
Q2 12:55Mike Tirico:Mahomes has to take a timeout here. They brought in some different personnel, the tight end Jared Wiley, the rookie running back Carson Steele. Mahomes didn't like what was going on, so he took a timeout. First one taken by KC, 34 seconds into the second quarter. You mentioned Carson Steele before, Chris. Interesting story. 2 years at Ball State, played at UCLA last year, undrafted free agent that Brett Veach, the GM, really liked as they watched tape. And Melissa Stark, they brought an interesting character to this Chiefs team.
Q2 12:37Melissa Stark:They sure did. His nickname is the Crocodile Hunter because of the unusual Christmas present that he got from his father in third grade, a baby alligator that he named Crocky J, who's now over 100 pounds. And Carson—
Q2 12:30Mike Tirico:of course, well, Carson and Crocky J have grown. Mahomes out of the timeout in the middle. It's Noah Gray. Gators love gators.
Q2 12:26Cris Collinsworth:I mean, is it just walking around the house?
Q2 12:25Mike Tirico:I don't know. I haven't been there. But when we get the exotic animal papers, I'll get you an update.
Q2 12:21Cris Collinsworth:It's a good guy.
Q2 12:18Mike Tirico:3rd and 9. Jones firing and thrown. It is caught and then dropped. JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is back with this Chiefs team, and Marcus Williams came up from the safety spot, makes the contact, denies the catch. And KC will try a field goal.
Q2 12:07Cris Collinsworth:It's one of those catches sometimes when you try to put your hands underneath, it's a little more vulnerable to getting knocked out. He had it and just could not hold on when when he hit the ground. They have an excellent secondary here in Baltimore. We'll go through— they, they came up short last year on just bodies to play by the end of the year. That won't happen to them this year. They have some real players on the back end.
Q2 11:52Mike Tirico:Butker missed 2 field goals all of last year from 32. Now it's going through to give Kansas City its first lead of this 2024 season. The turnover by Jackson turns into 3 from Mahomes and the Chiefs, where Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes meeting again here as we kick off this 2024 season. This is kickoff number 3 for Kansas City. Butker has just kicked it to the end zone for touchbacks the first 2 times. Baltimore's 1 kickoff yielded a return. Butler's going to line drive this one. Lands in the end zone and goes out, so it'll come out. It's a game. So when it mattered most against the best teams, that young defense was ready. Baltimore felt that at home. In the group to 10. Derrick Henry, the back. The pass out to Zay Flowers. It's about 7 yards. And Steve Spagnuolo, Chris, it's a guy who's been doing this year after year, and that defense really started right away as an outstanding defense.
Q2 11:12Cris Collinsworth:Well, you have to give him credit, to be honest with you. This was a bit of an off year. We saw the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes really struggled to try to get the ball down the field. The big plays that had been there in the past simply weren't, and so it fell to this defense, and they were more than up to the challenge. They had a fantastic year. I was stunned Spagnuolo wasn't hired by somebody off of that performance.
Q2 10:59Mike Tirico:Henry with the run, patient, got a second-level block from Ricard, the fullback, and he gets the first down out to the 43-yard line.
Q2 10:52Cris Collinsworth:You know, it's just not clean yet. You know, what we're seeing is our offensive linemen and people not quite getting there, and it's— they haven't played together, so we know it's going to get better for this group because the offensive line is so new, Henry's so new. You know, Derrick Henry, he's used to playing with the quarterback under center. Lamar Jackson is used to playing out of shotgun. There's a lot that has to be brought together in this offense.
Q2 10:35Mike Tirico:Jackson from the 43, some time here, sliding out to Likely. A lot of Chiefs red shirts are waiting. It's a gain of 5. Melissa? Yeah, Mike, I've been watching Lamar Jackson down here after that fumble.
Q2 10:29Melissa Stark:He came over to the bench and addressed the entire offensive line. It's as fiery as I've ever seen him. A lot of words I can't repeat, but just a very passionate speech and showing those leadership skills that John Harbaugh told us have grown immensely this year.
Q2 10:20Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, he's really running the offense and the leadership much more than we've ever seen with him. Now, there are going to be some growing pains with audibles and different things they're doing at the line of scrimmage, but they're turning it over to Lamar Jackson. You can tell watching it play.
Q2 10:11Mike Tirico:Second and Flowers through the traffic. Flag is down. Hopping and jumping. There are a whole bunch of Chiefs awaiting. Bring him down finally at the 48. We'll check the penalty marker. You can tell from the crowd and the looks on screen, this one's coming back.
Q2 9:54Mike Tirico:It's a 10-yard penalty. The replay, second down. It's on Rashod Bateman, first-round pick 4 years ago now out of Minnesota.
Q2 9:50Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and if he's— the defender is within a yard of the line of scrimmage, you are allowed to go out and engage and block and do all that. But once he takes a couple steps back, ball's still in the air. That's pass interference.
Q2 9:40Mike Tirico:Third accepted penalty against Baltimore, second and long.
Q2 9:36Cris Collinsworth:Just wonder when they're going to begin to see Lamar on the edge of this defense. Scans, he takes off, shoulder down as he's knocked out by Dre'Mont Jones and Justin Reid at the 42-yard line. That'll bring up 3rd and 10.
Q2 9:15Mike Tirico:Mike, I don't know if Lamar would admit to this or not, and I know he was coached very hard to try to protect himself, right?
Q2 9:14Cris Collinsworth:But in the championship game last year, there were a couple of opportunities where he could have broken big plays and just didn't quite have that explosive speed or whatever.
Q2 9:12Mike Tirico:And there were a couple times that Patrick Mahomes ran over people in that game. Small difference, but it was a tight game Justice Hill in the back for 3rd and 10. Keeps bringing 4. Jackson's got running lanes here. Steps up, keeps the weight for him. Put that shoulder down at midfield, but not going much further. Jaylen Watson from the corner spot came up. Some words exchanged on the sidelines. 4th and 3 for Baltimore.
Q2 8:58Cris Collinsworth:Let's see about this one. They might leave that offense out at the very least, go hard count here. But you're playing against the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, blah, blah, blah. A lot. We've heard this speech before. And you're at midfield. We know John Harbaugh well. He plays this like it's a championship moment. And why not find out about your team right here? A lot of times they love to run Jackson here.
Q2 8:43Mike Tirico:Go! Flowers on the edge, brought down by McDuffie. Trent McDuffie's one of the best in the league, first-team All-Pro, made that level play. And Stagnola's defense stops Ravens and gives Mahomes and the offense great field position at midfield thanks to the defensive work of Trent McDuffie. Simply streaming on Peacock. Noah Eagle Todd, Blake Lynch, Kaylee Hartung have that for you on Peacock. Pacheco, the inside run, gain of a couple of yards. Chris, can we go back? What happened on that fourth down play?
Q2 8:23Cris Collinsworth:They had the play. You got Zay Flowers, look at him squatting down behind, and on the back end, the safety has no idea that anybody's there. He's going that way. You got one-on-one on the outside. So if Nelson Aguilar just takes care of McDuffie. That should be an easy first down to convert there. Now they're trying to figure out what happened on the sideline, but opening night, I guess part of it.
Q2 8:10Mike Tirico:Even, even, even, even, even, even, even. No targets for Kelce. Yeah, so now, and Kelce, his first one of the year and a gain of a yard, maybe 2, to the 48-yard line. It's all the celebrity stuff Chris, he turns 35 in October, but in year 12 here, Travis Kelce still brings that work ethic and the defining character that is this Kansas City offense.
Q2 7:54Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and let's face it, he was probably the difference in that game, in the championship game. He had 11 balls thrown to him and he caught 11 balls, and he was going against one of the best football players in the NFL in Kyle Hamilton on the back end for the Ravens. So huge part of that championship run.
Q2 7:44Mike Tirico:False start, sends it back to third and 12 on the most penalized player in the NFL last year.
Q2 7:40Cris Collinsworth:It's third down.
Q2 7:37Mike Tirico:Year 2 for Jawaan Taylor, who came over from Jacksonville to Kansas City, and penalties were a big problem early on in the season.
Q2 7:33Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and you would be thinking mostly about Kingsley Suamataia, the starting left tackle, the rookie over on the other side, but so far he's held up pretty well.
Q2 7:24Mike Tirico:Third and 12, deep drop. Mahomes runs away to find space, fires on the run to Kelce to the 30-yard line. A perfect play for Patrick Mahomes to set the Chiefs record for most passing yards, passing the legendary Lenny Dawson.
Q2 7:10Cris Collinsworth:Well, if you want to know how you win a bunch of championships, watch this. There's really nothing there, so he is going to have to buy time, find some way way. And somehow, and I don't know how they do it, but Travis Kelce has this little way of getting lost. I wouldn't want to play tag with that guy because he always seems to get away right when Patrick Mahomes is looking.
Q2 6:56Mike Tirico:That's— 3 and 5, the crosser is defeated. Xavier Worthy chased down by Brandon Stephens. It's a first down at the 18-yard line. And a dozen more pass 100 passing yards for Patrick Mahomes. The Hall of Famer Lenny Dawson, one of the great Chiefs of all time. And Patrick, obviously different era, the passing numbers so inflated, it's just a little more than half the games. But, uh, Mahomes' record-setting career continues, but Lenny Dawson's records will be part of Chiefs lore as long as they play football here.
Q2 6:37Cris Collinsworth:My old partner on Inside the NFL, one of the finest human beings I've ever met in my life. I just love Lenny Dawson, and we're in the Lenny Dawson booth here.
Q2 6:32Mike Tirico:Yes, we are. The late legend, he continued his great sports casting career in Kansas City in addition to all his work over the years with you and Nick Fontecani inside the NFL so many years.
Q2 6:23Cris Collinsworth:You know, Mike, it's interesting watching this Kansas City offense and talking with Patrick Mahomes yesterday. He said everybody makes a big deal about the deep ball, right, and going over the top and all that. He said the biggest thing that some of this new speed on our offense is going to do is open up lanes underneath, drive those guys off, create bigger gaps in that intermediate zone, and get some catch and runs. And that's exactly what we've seen out of Is run of 5.
Q2 6:09Mike Tirico:Mahomes, Kelce didn't hang on as coming across from the other side was Marlon Humphrey to try to stop him. 3rd and 5 here for KC.
Q2 6:01Cris Collinsworth:My guy Jawaan Taylor got a quick jump on that one, no call.
Q2 5:57Mike Tirico:Flag, 3rd and 5. Big play for the Ravens. They gave the ball up at midfield, held KC to a field goal in the red zone last drive. Can they do it again? Twisting rush, Mahomes pressure, lobs it for Worthy, broken up! Beautiful defensive play and a big one by Ar'Darius Washington to force another field goal attempt.
Q2 5:40Cris Collinsworth:That was the play that we saw Worthy in preseason, just with too much speed going across. But do not underestimate Ar'Darius Washington, he really has been something. And we talked about the depth on the back end of this football team, they They really have some players in this. Nate Wiggins, their first-round draft pick, can run almost as fast as Xavier Worthy.
Q2 5:27Mike Tirico:But Garoppolo for a 31-yard try, and his second field goal puts Kansas City up by 6. Ravens defense limits the damage. 13 of Team USA on hand, gonna play plays soccer over in Italy for AC Milan. The U.S. men's national team, a couple of games coming up here in Kansas City later on this week. Well, they're very special people in this very tight organization, and they're on the Ravens' minds as this season gets started. There's a flag coming in for sure as Zay Flowers was running through the secondary and pulled by Drue Tranquill.
Q2 4:58Cris Collinsworth:There aren't going to be middle— many linebackers who have any kind of chance against Zay Flowers. I think Zay Flowers out here trying to make a little statement after that championship game. We watched a little tape on him and man, oh man, he is just lightning quick.
Q2 4:44Mike Tirico:77 catches last year, already 4 in the first 25 minutes of this season. Now he's got a handoff, past one blocker, scooped through the secondary for about 7 yards. Look, it was the big play in that championship game, getting the ball punched out on the goal line. And there was a penalty earlier at the end of the third quarter on that same drive. And Zay Flowers has had to live with that and kind of deal with it all season. So he was chomping at the bit for tonight.
Q2 4:29Cris Collinsworth:Yeah. And when you're talking about trying to reach the ball out and it comes up 2 inches short and I mean, guys playing his guts out in that game, had 115 yards receiving in the game. That's one that's tough to live with. We've all done it, you know. I had one in the Super Bowl too. I understand the pain of that.
Q2 4:18Mike Tirico:Second and 4 with a flag down. It is Henry for a first down and more across midfield. Check the flag.
Q2 4:11Cris Collinsworth:I bet John Harbaugh says, "About time!"
Q2 4:07Mike Tirico:This penalty is declined. The play results in a first down. They mark him right at midfield, a nice gain of 9.
Q2 4:04Cris Collinsworth:Chris Jones, the flag. Oh yeah, I thought he was the tailback. I just got confused for a minute there. That's, uh, yeah, that's across the line. Chris Jones has had a dominant first half and he is going to push the envelope on everything.
Q2 3:54Mike Tirico:Forced a fumble on Jackson, the only turnover of this game so far. Ravens scored on their first drive, quiet since. Midfield, Lamar taking off with purpose. 13 yards, goes down to the 37-yard line and a first down.
Q2 3:42Cris Collinsworth:So this is when he's at his best, right? I mean, you have to create opportunities. If you only rush 4 against him, you're gonna have these kind of opportunities. But even when you're rushing 5 and spying somebody, as they were there, it is Lamar Jackson, and you can just see the difference in him coming into this game, Mike. You can see it. The first half of that other game, it just wasn't this guy. It wasn't this explosive. I think that weight loss has really made a difference for him. He looks split.
Q2 3:25Mike Tirico:Chris Jones out of the game, getting a breather. Play clock running down and a delay of game. Delay of game, offense, 5-yard penalty, first down.
Q2 3:11Cris Collinsworth:Well, big moment in the game here, obviously. Now you get backed up, you're in 1st and 15. It's one of those that if you can hang on to the ball, you go down, score a touchdown, at least get a field goal. Okay, but now you're sort of back almost out of range for Justin Tucker.
Q2 3:02Mike Tirico:But who covers for him? Mark Andrews not targeted yet tonight.
Q2 2:56Cris Collinsworth:Pressure's coming left.
Q2 2:56Mike Tirico:Design run with Lamar. He's head down and gains about 4 or 5 yards. Mark him right around the 39.
Q2 2:48Cris Collinsworth:I think we're getting Lamar Jackson running this offense in a way that maybe he hasn't before. There was pressure coming over here, so now he's going to call a play and call his own number and get out around the corner going opposite of that pressure. They want Lamar Jackson to do this. They want him to take over every aspect of this offense, and so far in this one he is.
Q2 2:35Mike Tirico:Justice Hill, the running back, second and 12. Back to the right, yet another flag down. There's the first target to Andrews if it holds up. Ball at the 30-yard line, but is this another alignment call on the Ravens?
Q2 2:15Mike Tirico:It's a 5-yard penalty, replay second down. Ronnie Stanley again, and John Harbaugh's had enough. He's aggravated. He's giving the officials an earful as well. I think he's saying make sure it's happening equally on both sides with that call.
Q2 2:05Cris Collinsworth:It can't be fun to be that referee making that call with Harbaugh standing right next to him.
Q2 2:00Mike Tirico:So back to 2nd and 17. Zay Flowers, speed through the secondary, the 35. He's crushed down there. Nick Bolton, standing linebacker for this Chiefs team, was injured during the end of the year, came back to have the most tackles of anyone in the playoffs. As we get to the 2-minute warning, we can call it the 2-minute warning in the NFL, not the 2-minute timeout like they do in college. We'll wait.
Q2 1:51Cris Collinsworth:No time.
Q2 1:51Melissa Stark:Part of my conversation with Jordan Love ahead of Packers-Eagles tomorrow in Brazil.
Q2 1:50Cris Collinsworth:More right now from Arrowhead.
Q2 1:49Mike Tirico:Mike. All right, Maria, thank you. Maria and the team had to work a little bit extra as we had that 20 or so minute delay, but worth the wait. We waited 206 days of the season to start anew. So 20 minutes was nothing. Third and 8 in Tucker's field goal range for the Ravens. Five in the pattern for Jackson. Pressure's on. Lamar jumps and throws. Nothing to it. At the feet of Rashod Bateman, George Karlaftis, who came on last year in his second season, had the pressure.
Q2 1:37Cris Collinsworth:And what's happening is Chris Jones is getting all the attention. They have to put everybody over here so everybody else gets to play one-on-one football. And because this offensive line is so new and so young and not used to playing together, it is going to be the Lamar Jackson story in the second half if they're going to pull this off.
Q2 1:31Mike Tirico:Justin Tucker, most accurate kicker of all time. Last year, a rare bad spot in his resume. 1-of-5 for 50-plus from 53 tonight. No! Oh, they're going to love that. 5-time All-Pro, as good as we've seen as a kicker in the league. The long balls were not there last year, not here on the first one tonight. KC takes over up 6 with a buck 50 to go. Earlier tonight, Chiefs take over, 2 timeouts and a buck 50. Mahomes, hit as he threw, and was it scooped by Smith? Ruled a pick for the moment at midfield for Roquan Smith. Smith moving on the field as an interception. Touchdown by contact, first down. See if it's a catch. Is Roquan Smith—
Q2 1:14Cris Collinsworth:Travis Jones got the hit, and from that angle I think you'd say catch.
Q2 1:10Mike Tirico:Yep, got it. It's been confirmed.
Q2 1:09Cris Collinsworth:Roquan Smith, no question about it. From the minute he showed up in Baltimore, the unquestioned leader of this football team. And that is a rare mistake right there for Patrick Mahomes. He got hit, couldn't step into it, couldn't get the ball there. So what looked like a very tough situation gets flipped again. And let's give this Baltimore Ravens defense a little credit. Zach Orr taking over as that defensive coordinator. They're getting it done tonight.
Q2 1:00Mike Tirico:Travis Jones pushed the pocket, so Lamar Jackson's got it again. Justice Hill with Likely blocking for him. Isaiah Likely did a nice job with that block on the edge. Take it inside the 45 to the 44.
Q2 0:56Cris Collinsworth:Well, and the one thing we have not seen quite enough of yet— Mark Andrews for me is one of those guys that he gets Lamar Jackson going. When he gets the ball in the middle of the field, it gets him going. Likely is the flare guy. He's the one with the flare for the spectacular on the outside. And so they can kind of mix and match them, but we haven't seen enough of Andrews.
Q2 0:49Mike Tirico:44, keeps straight forward. Lamar Jackson taking off inside the 35 to the 34-yard line. Plenty of time for Baltimore. Minute 29. They love to take as much time as possible here.
Q2 0:45Cris Collinsworth:Yeah. And if you're not going to spy him, this is where they typically spy from. But when you rush 4, there is going to be a gap, whether it's Aaron Rodgers, whoever. They understand fully what— there's 6 gaps and you're rushing 4. We've got an opportunity. But I tell you, Lamar Jackson is just competing his tail off tonight.
Q2 0:39Mike Tirico:Final minute of this first half. Pressure comes from the edge. It's picked up. Jackson gesturing, pumping, now takes off. It has been Lamar on the run to the 28-yard line here. 50 seconds, clock keeps turning.
Q2 0:34Cris Collinsworth:Well, it's the other part of it. Obviously this offensive line is going to struggle. They're young, they haven't played together a lot. So when Lamar starts moving around and they go no huddle, that traps these defensive linemen on the field out there and they're getting tired.
Q2 0:30Mike Tirico:30 seconds remaining, sidearm swing, likely out of bounds at the 18-yard line. And now they have some shots at the end zone with timeouts and 27 seconds. Lamar Jackson running it a lot tonight, as he has during his career. If you add tonight's total of 63 yards, he is now third all-time, only Michael Vick and Cam Newton ahead. Russell Wilson, now a Steeler, try to catch Lamar when he gets going against Atlanta in Georgia, his Steeler debut on Sunday. But Lamar Jackson, boy, that one L in the championship game has led to two L's— different leadership and lighter And he is taking off like the old Lamar. Play clock, play clock. Mark Block got the timeout on the sideline. Baltimore's first, 27 seconds left in the half, and we're back in 30 seconds. The Baltimore Ravens defense keeping the Chiefs to field goals, giving the Ravens a chance to take a lead into the locker room here at the half. From the 19, Jackson. Isaiah Likely takes it to the 10-yard line. Harbaugh calls for timeout, 1 left, 20 seconds in the half.
Q2 0:20Cris Collinsworth:Well, the difference so far for the Baltimore Ravens just staying in this game has been Lamar Jackson. We've talked about he's lost some weight, he's came in very motivated this year. But when you get him on the edge, there is just no way to practice against anything like this. Lamar Jackson is one of one when it comes to running the football in the open field. And these kinds of runs where he's dropping his shoulder, he's not sliding, he's playing like it's the championship game. I don't think he ever got over what happened to them and how he could have been better in that championship game.
Q2 0:17Mike Tirico:You just feel his motivation. He talked to me about it last night when they landed here. It's about wanting to get back. He came off to a great start, especially against the team that ended their season. Second and one. Jackson jump pass towards Flowers, incomplete. A helmet on the field. Mike Danna had his helmet knocked off. Third and one, 18 seconds to go, and the Ravens have a timeout.
Q2 0:13Cris Collinsworth:Lamar's got to be exhausted. I don't care what kind of shape you come in when you run around like he's been running around here. You've got your big tight ends in the game now. Andrews has always been one of his favorite targets down in the red zone.
Q2 0:12Mike Tirico:Bowers in motion. It's a pitch to the other side of the hill. He's got the first down with 12 seconds left. Personal tackle. It's first and goal for Baltimore. They take their final timeout here with 12 to go.
Q2 0:11Cris Collinsworth:It's all right though, right? I mean, you're going to get off at least 2, and that's if you get a little bit of a scramble round. What you can't now take out of Lamar is a run that comes up short of the goal line, or you go to halftime with nothing.
Q2 0:10Mike Tirico:That was the one thing— they were taking their sweet time, and understandably so, because you didn't want to leave KC some time at the back end. But now you're out of timeouts, and you've taken the run away from a guy who's as dangerous a runner as anyone.
Q2 0:10Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, but you still have opportunities. It doesn't mean it can't happen, because if Lamar rolls out or gets on the edge somehow, you know, you got to trust his judgment. If there's just one guy standing out there, odds are pretty good he's not going to stop him.
Q2 0:09Mike Tirico:1 second put back on the clock, 13 to go. Likely the big tight ends at the bottom of the screen, 6 for 4.
Q2 0:09Cris Collinsworth:This offensive line has to hold up here.
Q2 0:09Mike Tirico:Jackson looks like he's— Lance covered, throws underneath, it's deflected by Chanel. With 9 seconds to go, they're going to try the field goal here with 9 seconds left. Widman, Tucker, and some of the special teams guys The field goal unit came out. Now they're running back off the field.
Q3 14:58Cris Collinsworth:That was a big opportunity right there. That ball doesn't get knocked down, I think Baltimore's got a touchdown here.
Q3 14:53Mike Tirico:The field goal unit came out, then the offense came back. Blake walks down at 10. Chiefs are trying to make sure their personnel's right. They might take a timeout. KC needs a timeout here, and they got it. So Steve Spagnuolo ran down the sideline to get the timeout call there as the Chiefs had a little bit of defensive confusion.
Q3 14:44Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and I think Andy Reid's a little concerned with that one too because it didn't look like Baltimore totally had their act together either.
Q3 14:38Mike Tirico:But it's also the defensive coordinator coming down to call timeout as well and not the head coach. Can I bring Terry McCauley in, our 3-time Super Bowl referee or rules analyst? Terry, that's, that's not the way it's supposed to go.
Q3 14:32Cris Collinsworth:He can't do that. It has to be the head coach that comes down. Assistant coach, nobody else can call down the sideline except the head coach.
Q3 14:27Mike Tirico:So Spags called— now that official didn't recognize it, but it was recognized by the official in the back corner who saw Spagnuolo coming down. And he says, I'm sorry, I know I can't do that. I mean, people should hire me as a head coach, but I'm not. But acknowledged, given. 9 seconds left, second and goal. Likely alone to the right. Jackson tries to put it up. It's incomplete. They got it out of bounds to preserve the field goal opportunity. Tershawn Wharton, 5th-year man, got in with the pressure, forces the field goal drop.
Q3 14:02Cris Collinsworth:That's a really good play by this guy right here, Justice Hill. I thought he was going to try and jump up and catch this ball. That ball had to hit the ground or you get no opportunity. There are just weird situations, and we saw several of them at the end of that drive.
Q3 13:54Mike Tirico:But there he is, guy who is as good as any kicker the league has seen in his 13th year in the league. The short stuff from 25, it's knocked through and it leaves a couple of seconds on the clock. Kansas City's on top 13-10. And Chris, you said it before when we had the turnover there at the start of the Chiefs last drive. Full credit to Zach Gore, defensive coordinator for the Ravens, very young, second youngest defensive coordinator in the league. Baltimore had real brain drain. They lost a head coach and two now defensive coordinators off their staff to other teams, and this guy has come in and had a pretty good first half for his first NFL game calling signals.
Q3 13:30Cris Collinsworth:32 years old, think about that. Had a neck injury in year 3 where he was named to an All-Pro team and comes out and goes, I thought I was going to coach, but I thought I'd have to go go back to high school and coach. And here it is now, 5, 6, 7 years later, and he is orchestrating beautifully this defense without 3 of their prime coaches that all left for big positions— the head coach and 2 coordinators. And so far, the people tell us that they love him. They tell us that he's also very loud. He's very much a former player out there on the field. But you can see the way the guys are standing up for him.
Q3 13:09Mike Tirico:2 minutes left. Tucker will hit this all the way through. It's a touchback. KC will get it at the 30. The names are Mike Macdonald, who was the defensive coordinator. He's the Seattle head coach now. Anthony Weaver was the D-line coach. He's the defensive coordinator down in Miami. And Dennard Wilson, who was the DB coach, is now Tennessee's defensive coordinator. And the second youngest defensive coordinator in the league, Zach Orr. His team has done its job here in half number 1.
Q3 12:55Cris Collinsworth:With that Roquan Smith Smith interception was just huge, wasn't it?
Q3 12:52Mike Tirico:Holmes to a knee, the teams to a locker room at 13-10. Tight first half of this first game of this NFL season. Chiefs get it to start the second half. And Melissa standing by now with Andy Reid.
Q3 12:45Melissa Stark:Andy, after the momentum swing with that interception, what's your message to the team?
Q3 12:43Mike Tirico:You know, you can't turn the ball over.
Q3 12:42Cris Collinsworth:You know, you turn the ball over against a team like this, you got problems. They're going to do what they did here, so we got to be—
Q3 12:39Mike Tirico:we just got to take care of the ball.
Q3 12:38Melissa Stark:The Ravens have quite the duo in the backfield with Jackson and Henry. How do you contain them in the second half?
Q3 12:36Mike Tirico:Yeah, our defense is doing a nice job of that, so we just keep, keep bringing it.
Q3 12:34Melissa Stark:Thanks, Andy. All right, Mike.
Q3 12:33Mike Tirico:All right, Melissa, there you go. Good to hear from Andy Reid during the game there at halftime. 13-10 Chiefs lead, they get the ball to start the second half. EHA Field at Arrowhead, the Ravens set to kick it off. That dynamic kickoff, only saw one return in the first half. Tucker will pump it up and it will be returned. Second returner Cole Hartman has it. Took it from just inside the 2, past the 30, and now to the 31-yard line. We do have a penalty marker down on the play and a scrub going on on the far side. Couple of players were engaged in a pretty good one-on-one battle, and that's going to be a lot of these new kickoff tough head-to-heads.
Q3 12:07Cris Collinsworth:During the return, holding by the receiving team, number 43. It's a 10-yard penalty, first down.
Q3 12:04Mike Tirico:And here's Melissa a moment ago with John Harbaugh.
Q3 12:02Melissa Stark:Jon, you held this high-powered Chiefs offense to 13 points. How do you continue to contain them?
Q3 11:59Mike Tirico:I think our guys are doing a great job. It's a tough environment. Our guys are handling the adversity. It's a great offense over there. Just got to execute at a high level, be in good shape.
Q3 11:55Melissa Stark:Lamar Jackson was all over the field in the first half. What do you need to see from him, want to see from him in the second half to defeat the defending Super Bowl champs on the road?
Q3 11:50Cris Collinsworth:It's like everybody just come out, let's play good solid football, let's make a play or two and go win the game.
Q3 11:47Melissa Stark:Thanks, John.
Q3 11:47Mike Tirico:Guys, John Harbaugh, Super Bowl winner. Last time the Super Bowl was played in New Orleans, that was against his brother Jim. Of course, Jim back in the NFL as the head coach of the Chargers. Patrick Mahomes asking to hold on. It's taking a minute here to spot the ball properly. Properly after that penalty.
Q3 11:37Cris Collinsworth:29-yard line minus 10 yards equals 19. Here we go.
Q3 11:34Mike Tirico:All right, so the hole happened at the 29, so instead of the ball being at 21, it's back to the 19.
Q3 11:30Cris Collinsworth:And it's one of the reasons you kick off like that, so that you might get a holding call.
Q3 11:28Mike Tirico:How many times do we see it? So it's a long field for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Isiah Pacheco with his run to the right, stretches out to the 24-yard line. Kyle Kyle Van Noy just keeps going. He's 33 years old, 11 years in the league, made the tackle, and Pacheco is going to come to the sideline here.
Q3 11:18Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, it's kind of interesting, isn't it, that Andy Reid comes out here in the second half, and he made the comment to us several times that this is going to be a, a big guy game, right, our offensive line, and let's get after.
Q3 11:12Mike Tirico:They put multiple timeouts in there, and that's Pacheco over there on the sideline by Andy Reid. They are thin in the running back position, just adding some ice safety, Ryan. A week ago, he's the back. Mahomes, double clutch in traffic and caught on the run. Rashee Rice through the secondary to the 42-yard line. A big gain for Rice.
Q3 10:56Cris Collinsworth:They're doing quite a bit of this, trying to drop the safety in below here so that if you try and throw that ball quickly, it's going to be intercepted. Patrick Mahomes saw that robber look out the course of the first half, just held it and threw it right behind the robber. So there was nothing to rob for the robber.
Q3 10:47Mike Tirico:34 yards on the game to Rice. Interesting personnel here. Jared Wiley and Carson Steele, two rookies in, and timeouts taken by Baltimore. They got to this personnel group earlier in the game and a penalty erased it. Patrick Mahomes had trouble hearing what was going on in his headset, ran over to Matt Nagy, the offensive coordinator, coordinators, they were coming up the field to get the play, and now he's got the helmet that he hopefully can hear in. Grabbed by Rashee Rice, that big catch. And if you were watching the pregame, Mike Florio detailed the story with Rice playing despite an unsettled off-field situation for back of the offseason. He's currently facing felony charges stemming from his role as a driver in a street racing crash that in March, it left multiple people injured. Last week, the NFL said it's going to wait till the legal process pays plays out before any decisions on potential discipline. Mike Florio indicated in the pregame that legal process could take on into December, if not the end of the season. So for that, right now, Rice is eligible to play. Pacheco back in. Mahomes, great move to complete it. Justin walks into the middle of the field, inside the 20, and another Chiefs first down.
Q3 10:07Cris Collinsworth:We're seeing some really strange formations now. And of course, all the focal point out here, wherever Kelce goes, Worthy clears him out deep, Kelce clears him out to the sideline, and that leaves nobody in the middle of the field for Justin Watson. So what you're trying to do is attract attention away or with those big star players and allow people like Justin Watson to make the play.
Q3 9:51Mike Tirico:Third trip to the red zone for Kansas City, no touchdowns yet. Pacheco left, got a block from Kelce, and Pacheco takes it to the 9-yard line, but there is a flag down in the Chiefs backfield.
Q3 9:40Mike Tirico:That is the rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia.
Q3 9:39Cris Collinsworth:And they're trying to get misdirection going here. Almost all these plays here in the second half have had some element of this, making you believe it's going to go one way and then bring it back the other way. So clearly Andy Reid went in at halftime and said, let's go establish a little physical major here on this first drive.
Q3 9:26Mike Tirico:28, Ravens bring 4 underneath, pass is deflected and incomplete. I believe Trenton Simpson was a linebacker with big shoes to fill, Chris, replacing Patrick Queen on the inside.
Q3 9:19Cris Collinsworth:And that was a play they simply couldn't stop in the first half. And Trenton Simpson, they were telling us that this guy has some really tremendous physical skills. Does he have experience playing that quarterback— linebacker position inside there? No. But what he does have is great physical gifts, and we saw it there.
Q3 9:09Mike Tirico:Third-round pick out of Clemson last year. Mahomes, covered, and the pass incomplete. A flag comes down as Mahomes got hit, and we have an injured Raven as well. Kyle Van Noy Boy is down for Baltimore.
Q3 8:54Cris Collinsworth:Look like he hit him in the head.
Q3 8:51Mike Tirico:The penalty's half the distance to the goal, it's first down. Penalty's on Nnamdi Madubuike.
Q3 8:48Cris Collinsworth:Now you're going to get the stunt coming around this way.
Q3 8:43Mike Tirico:Flag goes down for the hit. Meantime, Van Noy was on the left side of there as they fell on him. He went down, so he's injured, and the athletic training staff out to look at the veteran on his own. Penalty takes it to the 14 for Mahomes, and the Chiefs— Noah Gray inside, first down to the 2-yard line! Gray, the number 2 tight end, takes Kansas City down with a gain of a dozen.
Q3 8:29Cris Collinsworth:You could just see timeout time when Kelsey is going down the field, they have these guys here to block and then they just turn around. This is a core part of this offense, and Andy Reid over the years, whether it's here, Philadelphia, wherever he's been, the screen game always seems to catch you off guard. It's amazing that he can continue to come up with new ways to do it.
Q3 8:18Mike Tirico:Patrick Mahomes brings Worthy back. Pacheco to the right, to the goal line. Pacheco, the fight continues. He falls into the end zone. Touchdown! Casey would not be denied.
Q3 8:02Cris Collinsworth:So Kelsey really with the great initial block to sort of lead the way through there. I thought they probably would have blown that dead right there, but they never did because Terry, I guess he's just rotating out of there. You know, it looks, it looks like he's being push back. And there is some measure of a time at the goal line they give him a little more leeway to see if he can force his way in. And that's what happened there.
Q3 7:49Mike Tirico:And Mahomes with the last push to punch him in the end zone. Butker's extra point sneaks in the right side. And Kansas City has opened each half with a touchdown. It was Xavier Worthy in the first, and here in the third, it's Isiah Pacheco.
Q3 7:39Cris Collinsworth:20 take KC line of the Ravens, and you can see him break down on Jackson here like he's a punt returner, trying to make sure he could stay in front of him. And then the huge play of the first half, the sack, the fumble, and the Kansas City Chiefs continue to get it done on defense exactly the way they did a year ago on their way to the championship.
Q3 7:28Mike Tirico:Another Kansas City kickoff's been a touchback, so it's drive 5 for the Ravens starting at their own 30-yard line. Just a pin ahead of Flowers. Couldn't bring it in as he was trying to get out to the edge.
Q3 7:20Cris Collinsworth:And Mike, I don't think I've ever seen this number for the first half of a game before, but Lamar Jackson's average depth of target for his throws, just over 1 yard. So what we're seeing is, I think, a belief that they're not really going to hold up in protection. So either he's scrambling or they've got to make some quick throws to get that thing out of there.
Q3 7:06Mike Tirico:Now you can load up on protection, bring in more big guys, or spread it out here and see how that goes. Jones has caused havoc on the inside. Jackson will not help the depth of target average or the average completion. Loss of a couple for Zay Flowers. And once again, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, last year's first-rounder, with the stop.
Q3 6:57Cris Collinsworth:But you also know on defense when you have a team in this spot, when they don't believe they can hold up in protection. And Spagnuola now at this point is really free to call just about anything he wants because he's going to win the one-on-ones inside, or he believes he will.
Q3 6:46Mike Tirico:And we have not said Derrick Henry's name much through the second quarter and on into the third. Jackson straight drop, Hill let free out of the backfield, and that time Baltimore got on Justice Hill for another good gain out to the 45. Gain of 16 and a first down.
Q3 6:37Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, this is where we've seen them have some success, going that way and going back that way, and for whatever reason they have just lost Justice Hill a couple of times in this game, and that's pretty much been about as deep as they've been able to work it down the field. We saw Zay Flowers run some good routes early on. Maybe he can get back in the mix.
Q3 6:24Mike Tirico:Hill leading the Ravens with 45 receiving yards. It's now Henry as the back. Jackson fakes that way, throws to Mark Andrews to the Chiefs' side of midfield. First down at the 44-yard line for Andrews.
Q3 6:16Cris Collinsworth:It's a nice move by Andrews there. Of course, missed so much in the back end, but watch this little wiggle at the top end working against Justin Reid. Just a little wiggle right there to buy himself enough time. And there have been so many times that I've watched this Ravens offense, and a little bit like Patrick Mahomes can do with Kelce, let me just get one out there to Mark Andrews and things settle down.
Q3 6:02Mike Tirico:Tylan Wallace, first snap in the game for the receiver. Derrick Nnadi. It's Henry to the right, not going anywhere. Melissa, more on the Ravens tight end.
Q3 5:58Melissa Stark:Yes, he had that broken fibula last year, missed 7 games. He told me he's a pretty stoic person, but that injury was the hardest thing he's ever had to deal with. He spent—
Q3 5:53Mike Tirico:this is one of those hip drop tackles that the league has worked to try to get out of the game, and it's now a penalty if detected on the field. Second and 10, corner pressure, picked up. Jackson shot downfield for Lively. It's incomplete, and Chamarri Conner almost had an interception. Jackson put one up deep, but nothing doing downfield.
Q3 5:40Cris Collinsworth:Oh, those are the ones you got to hit because this time the offensive line got their job done. And also Derrick Henry picked up the blitzer off the edge. You've got one-on-one across the field. That's a play you need to make. That's when with Likely you have to give him a chance to jump up there and make that play.
Q3 5:31Mike Tirico:Tucker tried long field goals in this direction in pregame warmups. Third and 12, Jackson fires, incomplete, broken up at the last second by Jaylen Watson. Trying to get it to Zay Flowers.
Q3 5:20Cris Collinsworth:Oh, there are going to be a lot of happy people in Kansas City with that play right there. Jaylen Watson, pressure is on him this year. Lajarius Sneed gone to Tennessee, and it is going to be the bump and run specialist Jaylen Watson on the outside who is going to be counted on opposite credit to Trent McDuffie to make plays just like that.
Q3 5:10Mike Tirico:Jordan Stout hit Kansas City back in its own 10 once already tonight with a high spinner. It's 2 for 2. Fair caught by Mecole Hardman. Approaching the halfway mark in the third, Mahomes and the Champs up 10. The rest of the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to keep the adventure going for a third straight Super Bowl title. Isiah Pacheco has been a big part of the first two. Runs to the left, 4-5. Melissa?
Q3 4:51Melissa Stark:Mike, Travis Kelce had quite the offseason field, but Taylor is so smart, she put him in a position to not mess it up.
Q3 4:47Mike Tirico:Taylor Swift and Andy Reid, right? It's, it's, they've been coming. He said, all I have to do is not drop her. Pacheco trying to cut back here. He's going to keep going. It's official, runner in game just a couple of yards.
Q3 4:40Cris Collinsworth:It's hard to imagine anybody could have a much better year than Travis Kelce though. That's pretty good, right? Pretty good, right? You got— you'll win the Super Bowl, he plays great in the playoffs, and then he goes on a world tour and comes out in the top hat and he gets the— yeah, pretty good.
Q3 4:30Mike Tirico:Good. You can keep going if you want.
Q3 4:29Cris Collinsworth:Well, Taylor had a pretty good one too.
Q3 4:28Mike Tirico:She did. She did. It was really good. The year was tour around the world. It's a break from the international portion of the tour, picks back up coming up here in the US in October. So chance for her to be in the game tonight. 3rd and 3. Mahomes throws to Kelce. He'll have the ball as well. First down, 26-yard line for Travis Jones.
Q3 4:17Cris Collinsworth:It's really hard to describe what Kelce does for this offense. So many times he just is asked to block and he blocks and then he'll sort of turn around. So many times he'll see a blitz and he'll make a quick adjustment and Patrick Mahomes knows that exactly what he's going to do. So the little nuanced plays that these two guys do together. It's just magic.
Q3 4:02Mike Tirico:John Harbaugh had to take a timeout. That was before this half. Timeout Baltimore. Seeing some confusion here with Baltimore, and they've used two timeouts. Chris, you talked about how much he does for the offense. I thought Patrick Mahomes was great telling us the other day about how much he does for him. He said Travis Kelce makes it easier for me to be a leader. And this is Mahomes' quote. He's a Hall of Famer. He's dating the most famous the greatest woman in the world. He's got all the money he needs, but he still works, Mahomes told us. It makes my life, Patrick said, so much easier as a leader. And this guy's become like a brother. Our families are together after games. They're going into business on a restaurant downtown here in Kansas City. So I just want to hold on to this guy as long as I can. And you see why the stats on the field have been record-setting.
Q3 3:38Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, we asked him, Pat, whether or not he was surprised to see Taylor on stage. He said, just a matter of time.
Q3 3:34Mike Tirico:That's trap, right? How many times people run That's Travis Jones. The second timeout, first and 10 underneath throw, and there it is. They hit Rice again. Rashee Rice to the 43-yard line.
Q3 3:26Cris Collinsworth:I mean, they're just killing them with this play, and it's just a one-on-one right there. And Rashee Rice, if he didn't prove it to anybody last year, he's proven it already this year. You're going to try and line up a linebacker on him. They're just creating space. They're just emptying in and out, you know, like you do for Michael Jordan or whatever. You just create space, get everybody get out of the way and let Rashee Rice go to work. And he's killing it.
Q3 3:13Mike Tirico:Looks like that time on Malik Harrison, linebacker, they come back to Pacheco inside. It's Kyle Hamilton without his helmet. He's not stopping. That guy's some kind of player, one of the best defensive stars in this league. Has to come out and get that helmet checked out. Third year out of Notre Dame, 14th overall pick in 2022, and a first-team All- Chris, last year.
Q3 3:02Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, I mean, there is really nothing he can't do. He, he is certainly able to cover a tight end, but his length and size going down the seam when all those people throw those vertical routes, he has been making plays on those kind of balls his entire career.
Q3 2:53Mike Tirico:Mahomes gets it to Samaje Perine. The recent acquisition was so good with Cincinnati on that play, that third down, second down and long screen, picks up 10 there for another And he's going to fit in this offense so well, just going to sneak out here on the side.
Q3 2:44Cris Collinsworth:But he is a protection specialist as well. So you mix in his ability to do that in the screen game, but maybe more importantly for this football team is Samaje Perine is perfectly willing to step up against any linebacker and he's going to stone him.
Q3 2:35Mike Tirico:Carson Steele is in the game, the fans' favorite forward. 4 or 5 yards on the ground, his first NFL carry. Alissa.
Q3 2:29Melissa Stark:Mike, an injury update on the Ravens' Kyle Van Noy, who we saw take a hit to the head in the Chiefs' last drive. He went into the medical tent with the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant. He was evaluated for a concussion, cleared to play, but he is questionable. You see them working on it right there with his eye, an eye injury.
Q3 2:19Mike Tirico:Okay, thank you.
Q3 2:18Cris Collinsworth:Kyle Van Noy just keeps going, doesn't he? He's really become a pass rush specialist.
Q3 2:15Mike Tirico:Nice.
Q3 2:15Cris Collinsworth:Sacks on the year a season ago. He's, he's getting it done.
Q3 2:12Mike Tirico:Play 8 of the drive for the Chiefs. Mahomes is flushed, he escapes and throws it to the bench. And big Michael Pierce at 350+ pounds rushing at the quarterback.
Q3 2:04Cris Collinsworth:It really is interesting that Michael Pierce, uh, only had one sack a year ago but a career-high 31 pressures. So when you match him up inside there with Nnamdi Madubuike. That is really what they need because Jidevi and Clowney had towards double-digit sacks a year ago, and they're trying to replace that as well. And Travis Jones gets a big chunk of that action.
Q3 1:52Mike Tirico:Clowney's off to Carolina. Third and 5 here for KC at the 40, and now for P. Ryan, got his head around late, couldn't reel it in. Now let's see what Kansas City will do. Field goal for 58 Yards. Butker took a few steps out, but now he's coming back.
Q3 1:43Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, this one kills you. They had the right play, they had the right guy, they had the slot blitz. They just drop it over, don't even try to pass protect that guy, and they miss the throw.
Q3 1:35Mike Tirico:So Matt Araiza will come in for his second punt of the night. Deontay Hardy, All-Pro Punter in 2019 with the Bills last year. Gardner McCallister back deep to receive. Kick from the former Bills draft pick. Lefty punter trying to keep it alive at the goal line there.
Q3 1:23Cris Collinsworth:Wow, did he not step on that goal line?
Q3 1:21Mike Tirico:No, he did. Williams' foot was on the line. It wasn't even close. It was a touchback. This can't come out to the play. There's Joshua Williams trying to track it.
Q3 1:15Cris Collinsworth:Where the man is establishing the field of play before touching the football, it is a touchback.
Q3 1:13Mike Tirico:It's okay, get on the next one.
Q3 1:12Melissa Stark:Pressure is getting to him.
Q3 1:11Cris Collinsworth:Maybe we should change it up.
Q3 1:10Mike Tirico:Now I got— into the final month of the season, KC Royals haven't seen the playoffs in about a decade, just under that. Can Lamar Jackson get something cooking? Not with that one. Away from Derrick Henry, an incomplete second down.
Q3 1:02Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, they've sort of stayed in the pocket, haven't they? They've sort of just believed, and that's where Lamar wants to play, so it's not unusual But if you could get Derrick Henry going a little bit, he loves those outside zone runs. The outside zone runs are a lot harder when you're playing in the shotgun. Lamar likes being in the shotgun. So, you know, now they're back under center, but you're second and 10, so it's harder to run the football.
Q3 0:48Mike Tirico:No Chris Jones out there for the moment. Jackson on play action. That's complete. Bateman stops and spins. First down gain Up 15 to the 35 for the former first-round pick.
Q3 0:40Cris Collinsworth:So just— it's second and 10, you know they're not going to run it, but it looks like a run block up here. Play action, and now those linebackers are going to step up. It's Derrick Henry, we got to go tackle Derrick Henry. And then there's a hole, and behind it— that to me is a better formula for this offense going forward.
Q3 0:30Mike Tirico:First catch of the season for Bateman. Magolor in motion, following Ricard, extends Derrick Henry hit hard there for the gain of 6 by Nick Bolton, finished off as long as Mike Dano was with him as well.
Q3 0:22Cris Collinsworth:Well, and you get all this counteraction going now, Mike, which also sets up Lamar's runs. So you're gonna have offensive linemen pulling across the face, going to their right, Derrick Henry going in behind them, hand them the football. But you're gonna see in a minute Lamar Jackson fake that play and scoot around the edge.
Q3 0:11Mike Tirico:You saw that in the first half on a nice drive by the Ravens.
Q3 0:06Cris Collinsworth:Time clogged up for Henry.
Q3 0:05Mike Tirico:Chris, we— it's that time of year, a lot of folks just finished their fantasy football drafts, they're picking their players, and you start looking at this team, you go, Mark Andrews and Zay Flowers and Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. Fantasy football, we don't have offensive linemen.
Q4 14:58Cris Collinsworth:They don't pay a whole lot of attention.
Q4 14:57Mike Tirico:And right now we're just seeing, you know, an offensive line is going to take some time to come together here with the Ravens with changes up front.
Q4 14:54Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and this almost, for me, Mike, might be 4-down territory. You know, I, I know it's backed up, but I'm not sure you want to give Patrick the ball back one more time here.
Q4 14:47Mike Tirico:Justice Hill in the back, 3rd and 3. Only one timeout. Jackson goes quick, nothing open. He takes off as well as anyone, and there's Lamar Jackson in the secondary at the 42. Bryan Cook brings him down.
Q4 14:38Cris Collinsworth:The first down run by Jackson in a game Mike, did you see that time when Chris Jones comes out? Watch, he's just going to go, no, no, no, I want that guy right there. And then he's coming after the newbie Daniel Faalele. So he is now cherry-picking who he thinks he can beat. And by walking out late, he got the one-on-one that he was looking for.
Q4 14:25Mike Tirico:Jackson's longest carry of a productive night on the ground. Final minute, quarter 3. Patterson stepping up and taking off again. It's Jackson flagged down as Lamar goes all the way down the sideline. We saw that hole open up.
Q4 14:12Mike Tirico:You got Tyler Linderbaum the center.
Q4 14:10Cris Collinsworth:It was so completely unnecessary. Watch at the tail end of the play, Lamar Jackson has nothing but green grass in front of him. Here he is right there. And just as he starts to pull away, he just gives it that little grab and release and gets it called. And there goes a 50-yard play. There's no doubt Tyler Linderbaum and Ronnie Stanley are going to have to be the cornerstones of this offensive line until everything starts coming together.
Q4 13:53Mike Tirico:They gain a 29-yard gain with a little, little grab by Mike Pennel. Play clock running down again. Off in time. Jackson taking off again. And just a couple yards, Jaylen Watson was waiting as this third quarter comes to an end. Second and long on the other side. Kansas City scores the only points of the third. They're up 20-10 after 3. You're watching the NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube. Rematch of the divisional— of the wild card game between the Rams and the Lions for you. Football Night in America gets us started Sunday, 7:00 Eastern time. The quarter begins with second and 17, and the Chiefs leading by 10. Lamar Jackson chased by Chanel and Carl Loftis to Likely downfield. Isaiah Likely with a block down the sideline. Likely inside the 5 to the end zone. Touchdown Baltimore! Lamar kept it alive and Likely finished the run, and the Ravens are right back in it.
Q4 13:16Cris Collinsworth:Just give Likely a chance. That's all you have to do. This is a brilliant play by Lamar Jackson. He could see the defense with his back to him, just throw it and let Likely make the adjustment. And he makes a huge run after the catch to go with this play. Just fantastic football. I, I tell you, right now Likely is becoming that weapon in this game, and you can begin to feel it. If you're looking for an ad-lib partner out there, I think he's been the guy.
Q4 12:59Mike Tirico:Tucker adds the extra point. The Ravens get in it with a big play. Isaiah Likely at a coast-to-coast Gardner-Mitchell, Carolina, 49 yards to the end zone. 3-point game in this rematch.
Q4 12:53Cris Collinsworth:I always forget that we don't have it on Thursday night. You're all— we're just sitting up there and then all of a sudden we're on camera. It's like, oh, we're waiting for the song.
Q4 12:49Mike Tirico:You did look at me. Where's the song? I know that's Sunday. I'll see you in 3 nights. But ask me a Sunday. Yeah, I'll say yes. Time to be kicking off. Let's see if this will return too far to go back. KC will take off at the 30. Of course, John Harbaugh, you used to be the special teams coordinator for Andy Reid. And you talk about Andy Reid's tree, there's a big old branch of that, that he's the second oldest current coach in the NFL. Mahomes to Rice on the sideline for about 7 yards. What's in common with these two guys and what you see as you look at these organizations?
Q4 12:32Cris Collinsworth:You know, the one quote that Jon had with us is when he said something about that Andy is confrontational in a non-confrontational way.
Q4 12:26Mike Tirico:Yeah, right.
Q4 12:26Cris Collinsworth:And he also said both our teams self-police, correct? Think about that. You know, both your teams have people within it that are going to take care of the ugly part of coaching, which is, you know, having to call people out.
Q4 12:18Mike Tirico:Pacheco's been busy here in the second half, run of a couple, get a first down. And he learned so much being with Andy Reid, but John Harbaugh built it as well with his own DNA. Like, the Chiefs have a certain DNA about their building, and when people come in, how it works and operates. And it's the same when you go visit the Ravens in Baltimore as well. Two guys have been at it a long time. Hard to believe it's 17 years for John Harbaugh with Baltimore.
Q4 12:02Cris Collinsworth:But he did panic when you told him he was the second oldest.
Q4 12:01Mike Tirico:Said, you sure it's not Jim? My brother? Jim is younger, but that is the older brother. Give him the little nod. Mahomes, he'll escape. He can do it like Lamar too. Completes it to Gray again. And Chris, these quarterbacks are starting to put on their MVP MVP-like talents.
Q4 11:52Cris Collinsworth:Well, they are, and they're both creating not to run so much, and that's been the brilliance of Patrick Mahomes is that he doesn't have to run. He just runs to escape and to buy time, but he can throw from so many angles. I mean, it just doesn't matter what position his body's in, when he sees it, he can just whip it out there. And, you know, really good.
Q4 11:39Mike Tirico:The blue outside. Pacheco made a man miss. That is some kind of run. I know it's only 6 yards, but Wow, Isiah Pacheco feet were so good there.
Q4 11:33Cris Collinsworth:The underestimated part of Pacheco's game are these moves. Watch this. We all talk about how well he finishes, but those little jump cuts left and right, and then the ability to reestablish power behind that, that's the hard part. To try and run into a 240-pound man with power when you've come to a complete stop and had to start again.
Q4 11:20Mike Tirico:Kyle Hamilton knows it around the line. Pacheco's going to run inside. Gadafiolwe, first contact from Baltimore. Third and 3 coming up, 12 minutes.
Q4 11:13Cris Collinsworth:Big play in the game right here. If somehow Baltimore's defense can force the decision, right? I mean, just force them to decide whether they're going to go for it on fourth down or not, or try a very long field goal. Huge moment right here.
Q4 11:04Mike Tirico:And Melissa told you about Kyle Van Noy before. He's out the rest of the game for the Ravens with that eye that they were looking at. Third and 3, Kelce time. Mahomes faked it to him, going to run it and get it. First down and hit on the sideline. No flag thrown that I see as the pushing and shoving and the angst between the two sides continues. Everybody gets back to their huddle. Here's what's started off.
Q4 10:43Cris Collinsworth:Roquan Smith, look like contact outside the white— I mean, inside the white, whatever, out of bounds. Doesn't matter now. And the bigger part of that play, penalty or no, is that he got the first down.
Q4 10:34Mike Tirico:Yes, on that scramble on third and three, he got it. Again, got it. It's Pacheco coming to the left. Creed Humphrey, the center, was out there, but the Raiders Get to him. Loss of a yard. The Kansas City fans are furious, and Mahomes is telling him, quiet down, I need to hear the next play.
Q4 10:24Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and I'll tell you who's quieting him down is Odape Owae. Odape Owae has been having a game. We talked earlier about David Ojabo, who had the sack. So if these two young edge players can begin to really grow into what people always thought they could be, this Baltimore defense will have a real upset.
Q4 10:12Mike Tirico:Mahomes fires, throw And he's got it in! Xavier again! Worthy for a touchdown! Number 1 has 2 tonight.
Q4 10:01Cris Collinsworth:Just inexcusable. Completely blown coverage on the outside. Marlon Humphrey assuming he had some deep safety help in behind. There was none. And Patrick Mahomes, you give him a freebie, he does Does not miss. Did you see that little look out of the corner of his eye? He said, "Really?" Had time to take a double check. And I think Worthy is worthy.
Q4 9:47Mike Tirico:Butker's extra point. Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy. He has one on the ground, and that's their first touchdown hookup. 27-17, KC. You're watching the NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV. Xavier Worthy, the rookie out of Texas, who ran one and now has caught one. Two touchdowns on the night, but they're all touchbacks tonight. Baltimore gets it at the 30 again, back to the Ravens' last drive, Chris.
Q4 9:31Cris Collinsworth:All right, let's take a look at our Next Gen Stats powered by AWS and Isaiah Likely. How likely was it that he was going to score on this one? Well, first of all, Lamar Jackson had to pull a little magic, just throw it up, and then he had three guys had to deal with going down the field and whoop, right before they got to the end zone. What are the odds? 0.3% touchdown probability. So 1 out of 300 chances, right? Couldn't do that. 1 out of 300 chances that that would happen.
Q4 9:14Mike Tirico:Fabulous. You're on your own island. Derrick Henry in the back. Ravens got to have it here. Remember, they're down to 1 timeout. They go to their speedster, Zay Flowers. It's about 8 yards. He threw tranquil runs all the way across the field to bring him down. Flowers, second rush of the night. He already has 6 catches, but nothing deep, 37 yards so far.
Q4 9:03Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, as I look at this team now going forward, to me it becomes pretty obvious the two people I have to really engage with, and one is Zay Flowers, because you can do quick throws and he can break a tackle and use his quickness to get open. And the other one I think is Isaiah Likely. I mean, he has shown the ability to create after the catch which is what they need.
Q4 8:51Mike Tirico:Here he is, some cute with a block on the outside.
Q4 8:45Cris Collinsworth:We get the first down, not before after that, as the Chiefs rally to the ball. See Mike Danna, the defensive lineman, getting out there as well. But first down Baltimore, 9 and a half to go.
Q4 8:36Mike Tirico:And one of the hard parts about playing these two tight ends, Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews, they're much more receiving tight ends than they are blockers, which doesn't play to Derrick Henry very well. Quick to Henry, Jackson to keep, and there he goes. Back to Chamarri Conner gets close to a first down as Lamar Jackson's closing in on a 100-yard rushing game.
Q4 8:32Cris Collinsworth:And that Chamarri Conner, you're going to enjoy watching him throughout the course of the season. A big hitter, and he is sort of that big nickel, number 27. So he's going to get in the game a lot now because Lajarius Sneed no longer there.
Q4 8:24Mike Tirico:Free shot play here if you want it. Henry Inside, step away from getting some steam and getting going. First down, got inside the 45.
Q4 8:12Cris Collinsworth:You know, that's when analytics kicks in a little bit for me. When it's second and one and you need big plays, that's a time you can take a shot, still come back on third down and even fourth down and go for it.
Q4 8:04Mike Tirico:There, Jackson pulled it, he kept it, wait for that block on the edge. Oh, what a spin move! Lamar Jackson to the 31-yard sideline. Some vintage runs here. That was Likely out there blocking.
Q4 7:59Cris Collinsworth:I'm gonna tell you what, John Harbaugh is going to like this better than the touchdown maybe. Watch Likely come out here on the edge against Carl Jones and just bury him on his back. I think Likely was kind of surprised it happened, but that is some block on the edge.
Q4 7:50Mike Tirico:100-yard game for Lamar Jackson, more than any quarterback rushing in the history of the league. Now for a touchdown in the air, but too far for Bateman. And incomplete.
Q4 7:43Cris Collinsworth:Mark Andrews ran a really nice route on that one. Unfortunately, it was just as Lamar Jackson was spotting it down the field. But watch this move right here. He was open. That was a pretty good game that they had an opportunity for. Again, I'll just say it, some of the really quick throws over the middle, I've seen this entire offense get in sync when they start working Andrews right over the ball.
Q4 7:30Mike Tirico:Tylan Wallace has come in at receiver. He's the one communicating with Andrews. Justice Hill in motion, and Jackson throws complete to Aguilar at the 25-yard line. Chris, we're halfway through the fourth quarter, and of note, Baltimore used two timeouts on defense. They only have one left, so they're really going to have to maximize their time with the ball, which is why they're going no huddle. They just reminded Reed Harbaugh, let's field goal. Just going to need at least a field goal and a touchdown to have that group ready to go. Third and four, and Andrews gets back up. He can't get there at the 22-yard line. He stops. Let's see if he still goes field goal here. Fourth and a half. Now we're going for it now.
Q4 7:03Cris Collinsworth:Wow, I don't know what happened to Mark Andrews there. That looked like a really easy first down. He just lost his footing at the tail end of that. It was a really good throw, should have just caught it in stride and been able to pick up the first down. Instead, fourth and one now.
Q4 6:53Mike Tirico:It's interesting because you do need a field goal and a touchdown. He mentioned field goal first if you read his lips. Now they're going to rush out, try to get it here on the to the ground with Henry. Hit behind the line of scrimmage, but it didn't stop Derrick Henry. First down at the 20 with 6:25 left in regulation.
Q4 6:42Cris Collinsworth:I tell you, they had a shot in the backfield. Derrick Nnadi had him dead to rights, but that just didn't matter with 250 pounds of man in Derrick Henry. And that's an element of this offense that oftentimes they didn't have. We saw last year more quarterback powers in those key fourth and ones than we did a Derrick Henry type.
Q4 6:30Mike Tirico:Bryan Cook, Chiefs safety, stayed down for a moment after that play, stays in the game. Play clock running down again. Stopped it for a second. Now Jackson has it. He's just going to pump and go. Out of bounds at the 16-yard line, but outside of 5 minutes, won't maximize the time.
Q4 6:14Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, you can see Lamar when he doesn't have it, he's trying to be smart. He's, you know, he's MVP of the league. They got to keep him around, right?
Q4 6:09Mike Tirico:That's what I asked you. We have time.
Q4 6:09Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, right. But this game, I always felt like— and you talked with him too— it's like, just felt like this one was different. It wasn't a regular season game. This was something a little more than that.
Q4 5:59Mike Tirico:Here he goes out of the pocket. Jackson chased by Chanel, throws it. Got it. It's outside the tackle box. Got to pass the line of scrimmage. There is no intentional grounding. The quarterback was out of the pocket and reached the ball beyond the goal line extended.
Q4 5:48Cris Collinsworth:It's third down.
Q4 5:46Mike Tirico:Third down.
Q4 5:44Cris Collinsworth:Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would have been proud of that hook shot.
Q4 5:42Mike Tirico:Skyhook.
Q4 5:42Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, it just doesn't matter once you throw it past the line of scrimmage and you're outside that pocket. Smart play by Lamar Jackson.
Q4 5:37Mike Tirico:Leo Chenal is chasing after it. Third and 6. He's bringing 3. Leave a spy from Lamar, and it's Chanel who got him at the 14-yard line. We have a penalty flag down. Is this another illegal formation on Baltimore?
Q4 5:20Cris Collinsworth:This penalty is declined. It's 4th down.
Q4 5:15Mike Tirico:So that's 7, that's the wide receiver Bateman. It's not one of the offensive linemen, and he's uncovered here on the side.
Q4 5:11Cris Collinsworth:Up at the top up here, the field goal attempt will come.
Q4 5:05Mike Tirico:Tucker with a make from 25, missed from 53. 32, it's a one-score game with 4:54 to go. To open the 2020 24th season. He played for the AFC title last year, and a good one in KC. For the Chiefs, had speed at wide receiver with Xavier Worthy. He's given them a couple of big-play touchdowns. Then draft a left tackle for the future, and the rookies have been part of the story here tonight. 7-point game as the Ravens get the field goal. Let's see what this kickoff will bring. It's kicked all the way to the end zone and the Chiefs take over at the 30-yard line. How about that other rookie?
Q4 4:33Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, Kingsley Suamataia playing left tackle in this league is about as hard as it gets, and it surprised me a little bit, Mike, and that we have not seen him get a lot of help. There have been times in the past where they would chip and help that left tackle almost every time with a back or a tight end. Now, has it been perfect tonight? No, but it certainly has not been a disaster by any means either. I think he's a good athletic player. He's going to be a good left tackle in this series.
Q4 4:15Mike Tirico:Protect though, first down, the run to the right there and gained 5 yards. Again, Baltimore has just that one timeout left. And Chris, you talk about the growth of Keaontay Ingram, in part they've got such a strong group on the inside of this offensive line, really the core of protecting the franchise, Patrick Mahomes.
Q4 4:05Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, I, I'm not— well, Andy Reid doesn't want to give up sack obviously, but I think if you had asked Andy Reid before the game that that's going to be his numbers and we're not going to give him a lot of help.
Q4 3:56Mike Tirico:Probably like, okay, go blue. 5 for Pacheco on first down. Ravens bringing some heat. We got a whistle. We got a false start to kill the play before the snap.
Q4 3:41Mike Tirico:It's Taylor, that's the second on him tonight.
Q4 3:39Cris Collinsworth:Yep, just a little flinch before the ball is snapped.
Q4 3:36Mike Tirico:And they'll put 4 seconds back on the clock, 4:14. So that really helps the Ravens.
Q4 3:33Cris Collinsworth:It does, because you have to remember with the one timeout, I mean, you're getting down to where 4 or 3 minutes to go is just basically one or two first downs. So now you back them up and you get second and 10. This This is where it has to happen right now for Baltimore.
Q4 3:25Mike Tirico:Even, even, even, even, even. Touchdown! Patrick Mahomes out of the pocket. On the run with a downfield block for the first down near midfield as they get him with a flag on the sideline as they went low, as he went out of bounds. There's also a flag back where the block happened as well. I don't know if there was a hold there on the edge. Check these flags here. Two separate ones, 22 yards apart.
Q4 2:59Cris Collinsworth:They were fouled by both teams on the play.
Q4 2:53Mike Tirico:Replay, second down. Rashee Rice on the hold.
Q4 2:51Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, no doubt here. Sort of gets his arm wrapped around it, but the killer on the back end is Marcus Williams because he's going to dive at the feet of Mahomes here. And that was just— that you add 15 yards on the back end of that and now you're in the game. You got the ball with a chance to win.
Q4 2:39Mike Tirico:So we redo 2nd and 10. Mahomes will screen it with Pacheco. Creed Humphrey in the center, out-blocked for him. Rolling over bodies, never had a knee or other body part down. And gets him the first down. You got to see to make sure that happened. He does have a timeout, he can challenge.
Q4 2:24Cris Collinsworth:There's nothing to challenge. He was on the back, he was not down. He puts his hand on the ground and he gets up. That is one unbelievable play, and that's the second one he's had tonight. He had the touchdown just like it.
Q4 2:14Mike Tirico:Oh, geez, put the The first down away from closing this thing out. That one timeout, Pacheco for a couple. Here's the play again.
Q4 2:09Cris Collinsworth:Churning and burning and getting hit, rolling over. Never did he hesitate at all. He knew he wasn't down and so did his teammates. Did you see everybody else? Creed Humphrey over there, Trey Smith, like, you're not down, get up.
Q4 2:00Mike Tirico:It's all knees and elbows, big bruising back. He has a physical nature to this Chiefs team. Carson Steele, the undrafted rookie is the lone back late in the fourth. Steal time. Roquan Smith coming after him. 38 to go. The clocks are synced, so Harbaugh's going to take a timeout and try to use it here on this side of the 2-minute warning, because the Chiefs going to let that run down to the 2-minute warning before the third down snap. Final timeout ball Baltimore, 2:32 to go. Longtime coaches have been center stage and have made some big plays. And now, Chris, it really comes down to this snap.
Q4 1:47Cris Collinsworth:Yeah, and if you throw an interception or an incompletion here, that means that the clock is going to stop and this Baltimore offense is going to end up with a real opportunity despite the fact that they don't have the timeouts.
Q4 1:43Mike Tirico:Geez, first down here. Oh, go to the right! Lock this one up for KC. It's Mahomes under pressure, stepping up to sweatgate, and Mahomes caught it, and it's just going to be a gain of a yard. Much like Lamar caught his own deflected pass in the AFC Championship Game. Trenton Simpson got up there and made the play, and Baltimore will get the ball back first of the 2-minute warning.
Q4 1:37Cris Collinsworth:First of all, this is a humongous play by Patrick Mahomes. He's got to outjump those 2 guys or it's going to get intercepted. He's got somebody on either side. He knew exactly what was going on. We saw Lamar Jackson in the Championship Game catch one of his own balls. That was huge.
Q4 1:33Mike Tirico:Fourth down, Kansas City on Peacock. Ravens out of timeouts, going to get the ball. Matt Araiza, the first-year punter out of San Diego State, to kick it away. Searching for a return man. Deontay Hardy awaits. Off-footed boot with great hang time. Hardy is going to give it a shot from the 10. Got to get to the sideline. He can't do it. Beautiful tackle. Nazeeh Johnson, the backup corner on special teams, makes the play. And it will be up to Lamar Jackson to go all the way down the field. Some 87 yards. There are his numbers on the night. Mahomes more in the air. Jackson, 100 yards rushing. He's done that for the 14th time in his NFL career.
Q4 1:21Cris Collinsworth:Mike, it's really important in my opinion for Lamar to get a couple of plays in here. Quick throws. Let's wear down that pass rush a little bit. Let's stay in the 2-minute. But they are on their toes. They're fired up now. Don't let them get you early in the drive. Chris Jones rushing from the edge.
Q4 1:17Mike Tirico:87 yards for the Ravens. Jackson's first pass, sideline Isaiah Likely. He's had a big game, 8 targets, 100-yard game now on 7 catches.
Q4 1:13Cris Collinsworth:Smart play there by Jackson, just take exactly what they're going to give you. They're going to allow you those kinds of catches at this point on the field. With 3 or 4 pass rushes into this thing, all of a sudden Chris Jones is not quite the same Chris Jones if you just keep keep him out there.
Q4 1:09Mike Tirico:Derrick Henry on the sideline. Justice Hill, more of the third down back and passing game stuff for the Ravens. He releases. Jackson steps up, chased by— oh, got away! Spinning around the 30-yard line. First down for Lamar.
Q4 1:05Cris Collinsworth:It's got to be so frustrating playing him, right? And Patrick Mahomes too. But that's what the great ones really have the ability to do. They can beat you from the pocket. Lamar Lamar Jackson has always been a pocket passer. So has Patrick Mahomes. But it's those plays that set them apart, whether they're running or moving to throw, which is— always gives you a shot in this situation.
Q4 0:59Mike Tirico:Averaging 8 yards a carry is Jackson.
Q4 0:58Cris Collinsworth:They're having to chip on Chris Jones, though, and so it's costing them some time and opportunity with Likely.
Q4 0:56Mike Tirico:From the 30, shot down the field from Jackson. Incomplete. Bateman was blanketed. Nothing going with Joshua Williams down the sideline in coverage.
Q4 0:53Cris Collinsworth:So the hot receiver, right, is likely, but because they're having so many problems with Chris Jones over there, they're having to leave him in and block. Same thing on the other side with Mark Andrews. So to help with the protection, they're going 7-man protection, at least through the chip part of that, just to try and make sure that Lamar can get it off.
Q4 0:46Mike Tirico:Jones this whole drive living as an edge rusher here. Leo Chenal comes as well. They'll throw it that way behind Kyle Hamilton, and likely another catch and getting out of bounds, preserving some time. 86 seconds to go here in regulation.
Q4 0:44Cris Collinsworth:It's exactly what he should be doing. This is Lamar Jackson just playing a brilliant start to this drive. He knew what they were going to do. Now Chris Jones has rushed 4 or 5 times. Now you've kind of chipped on him a couple of times. It's a little bit different.
Q4 0:40Mike Tirico:It's the first game of the season.
Q4 0:40Cris Collinsworth:No doubt. Which is always the hardest one to catch your breath.
Q4 0:38Mike Tirico:Play 68 for the Ravens tonight. 4-man rush. Jackson trying to escape, got some space here, going to take off, go down the 41-yard line. They may have taken the worst of the hit by Nick Bolton, his teammate.
Q4 0:32Cris Collinsworth:Oh, they got to take the timeout.
Q4 0:32Mike Tirico:They do stop the game for an injury with Kansas City, which will take a timeout off of their list.
Q4 0:30Cris Collinsworth:It's not the worst thing in the world though for Kansas City because now they do get to freshen up their pass rushers here a a little bit. I'll tell you, the one guy that we have not talked enough about, Leo Chenal, the guy who took the worst end of that. What a playoff run he had going through the championship and the Super Bowl. I thought he was really something, and he is really well respected on this Kansas City defense.
Q4 0:24Mike Tirico:Forced fumble, blocked the extra point in the Super Bowl, which was such a huge play. They look at him, and as they look at him, Chris, look at the rest of the Chiefs defense down there. A lot of guys on an getting some hydration. Again, you may play a few snaps here, series, or a couple of series. Kansas City actually did play a few games with their starters in the preseason for a bit, but nothing like what it took out here tonight.
Q4 0:18Cris Collinsworth:And what Andy Reid will do on occasion in practice is make them stay on the field for 15 or 20 plays so that they're ready on opening night for this kind of action. But they did look tired. They were all on a knee out there.
Q4 0:14Mike Tirico:They brought Drue Tranquill in at linebacker to replace Lamar Jackson steps up, floats it. Justice Hill has it. Chooses to go upfield instead of out of bounds. Gets to the 48-yard line. Turning clock, final minute here in KC.
Q4 0:09Cris Collinsworth:Great play by Nick Bolton to cut off the receiver there, not allowing him to get out of bounds and making the tackle.
Q4 0:07Mike Tirico:A lot of time comes off there. Down to 46. 7 seconds left. Slide it to Likely, first down and out of bounds. They have worked that very well on this drive.
Q4 0:22Cris Collinsworth:Isaiah Likely, because he got so much playing time at the end of the year last year because of the injury to Mark Andrews, is just a much better, much sharper player than what we saw early in his career.
Q4 0:43Mike Tirico:It's the best night of his young career. 9 catches, Buck 11. Both of those you see there, career high for the third-year man. Andrews gets a rest, so does Chris Jones. 43 seconds left. Ravens need a touchdown. Still blitz.
Q4 0:21Melissa Stark:They bring 4.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:Jackson throws on the run to Bateman. He brought it in. Inbounds clock runs at the 11-yard line. Final half minute. Rashod Bateman goes up to get it. Ravens trying to get organized. Do they kill it or take the shot at the end zone? Down to 19 seconds remaining. They'll take a shot. It is Jackson. Taking a lot of time. Throws it to the back to Likely, incomplete. Down to 10 seconds remaining as Likely hit the deck hard and is insubmissive. It really looked like—
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:first of all, let's go back to the catch by Bateman to set all of this up. Caught the back couple of inches of that ball, but on that last play it looked Isaiah Likely Likely was open in the back of the end zone, and Lamar couldn't quite get himself set to make that throw. You can see the space out towards the pylon, and he threw it high and away and just likely unable to get it, and then paid the price for it on the tail end of this as he comes down hard.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:Terry McCauley, I bring you in here because there are no timeouts left for Baltimore and an injured player here, but the ball was out of bounds and incomplete. What happens here?
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:It's just an excess timeout It's just charged, uh, there's no penalty for it, uh, nothing happens. If there's another one, it'll be a 5-yard penalty.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:Thanks, Terry. And the concern now for the moment is Likely has had this great game. Adrian Dixon leading the medical team, Leanne Curley, orthopedist, also out there for Baltimore.
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:You see Likely as he went up, and absolutely the right play there by Bryan Cook. Remember, there are no force outs anymore, right? So as a defender, your job is to carry him if you have to, but certainly push him out of bounds. So a perfectly played play that time by Bryan Cook.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:The great news is that Likely is up and walking off. Tough for the Ravens. He's such a target down there in the red zone. You don't have him, you're down to a couple of plays.
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:Do you like that they just went to the line and made a play and didn't clock it there? Well, if, if you clock it, then you're down a play too, right? So it doesn't really matter at that point.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:But now Lamar can't take 10 seconds on this one play, and sometimes he can move around and try to do that. 10-yard line, 10 seconds. Ravens trying to tie it. Jackson sliding up, throwing end zone. Incomplete. Flowers was wide open.
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:Oh man, that's two. He saw it. It's going to come right in the back, right back here. That's two open players that he had a shot for. 4 and just missed.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:Boy, Likely back in game 1 of season 105 in the NFL, down to 1 play, 5 seconds to go. He's rushed for Lamar Jackson, trying to make magic happen, throwing in zone. Likely, 2 feet Down! Yes! Touchdown! What a play! Isaiah Likely going for 2, and the win are the Ravens on opening night.
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:Let's make sure. Oh, very close. Is there enough to overturn?
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:Oh, that's It's on the line, isn't it?
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:Terry McCauley's gonna have to make this call, but it looks like that toe's on the line, Terry. I agree completely.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:The right toe's on the line.
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:It's out of bounds. This is going to be reversed to an incomplete pass. Oh my goodness, that's a toe!
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:By a toe, the opener looks like it'll go to the Chiefs because this will be game over. Showing the replay play up on the big screen now, and you're watching here at home. Unbelievable look down the line there, gives you that definitive look you're looking for.
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:The NBC camera crew is unbelievable, and the Ravens wish they were a little less.
Q4 0:19Mike Tirico:And you're gonna hear this crowd go crazy with the calls from John Hockelin. The runner's toe hit out of bounds. It's an incomplete pass. The game is over. Kansas City has won 27-20. The Chiefs win on opening night by a toe. And just like they did the AFC Championship Game, it's Kansas City by 7. Wow, what a play!
Q4 0:19Cris Collinsworth:What a night by Likely! What a night by Lamar! What a night!