The Kansas City Chiefs began their bid to win a historic third straight Super Bowl with a thrilling 27-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night.
The Ravens thought they had tied the score at 27-27 with zero seconds left on the clock, but tight end Isaiah Likely’s toe was ruled out of bounds after catching Lamar Jackson’s pass.
Taylor Swift watched at Arrowhead Stadium as boyfriend Travis Kelce and his teammates got their season off to a perfect start with a win over their fierce AFC rivals that could already have playoff implications.
It was also a perfect NFL debut for Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy, who showed off his blazing speed to score two touchdowns.
Jackson produced an inspired performance to keep the Ravens in the game, but he agonizingly missed a pass to a wide-open Zay Flowers in the end zone before hitting Likely, who was out of bounds, on the next play.
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs cruise to a 27-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens thought they had tied the score at 27-27 when they scored with 0.0 seconds left.
But Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely’s toe went out of bounds, sending Chiefs fans wild.
Taylor Swift made a triumphant return to Arrowhead Stadium, watching the game with Kelce’s parents
You wouldn’t bet against these two teams meeting again in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 26, as they did last season when the Chiefs won in Baltimore and Swift took the field to celebrate Kelce’s victory.
The singer has become a regular at Chiefs games since her relationship with Kelce was made public in September 2023. She watched 13 times last season, including the Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
Taking a break from her blockbuster Eras tour, the pop star hit Arrowhead Stadium about 40 minutes after Kelce on Thursday night and looked stunning in a Versace denim ensemble and red Giuseppe Zanotti thigh-high boots.
However, the singer decided not to sit down with Brittany Mahomes after the singer’s legion of fans begged her to snub the wife of Chiefs star quarterback Patrick because she seems to support Donald Trump in the upcoming elections.
As the partners of the Chiefs’ two biggest stars took their seats on NFL opening night, they both appeared to be in different suites. It’s a marked difference from last season, when they were inseparable during games.
Swift took her usual seat in Kelce’s luxury suite alongside the tight end’s family and friends. She was photographed sitting next to both of Kelce’s parents — Ed and Donna — in the first half.
Derrick Henry breaks through the Chiefs defense to score the first touchdown of the season
Xavier Worthy’s speed was too much for the Ravens defense as he rushed for the score
Mahomes, meanwhile, sat with her adorable daughter Sterling Skye in another suite as she cheered on her husband.
After seven months without football, fans were forced to wait an extra 20 minutes as a strong but brief thunderstorm passed over Arrowhead Stadium, bringing torrential rain and lightning.
The Ravens opened the scoring with a surgical attack in the first quarter, showing there were no lingering effects from last season’s AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs.
Their star signing of the offseason, Derrick Henry, proved why John Harbaugh was desperate to bring him to Baltimore, carving his way through the Chiefs defense to score the first touchdown of the new season.
But new signing Andy Reid equalized on the Chiefs’ first drive. Xavier Worthy’s speed was too much for the Ravens’ defense as he slipped into space to score in his first NFL start.
Patrick Mahomes celebrates perfect start to new NFL season for Chiefs
Two field goals from controversial kicker Harrison Butker gave the Chiefs a 13-7 halftime lead before they extended their lead in the third quarter when Isiah Pacheco was pushed over the line.
However, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Isaiah Likely caught a pass from Lamar Jackson and raced toward the sideline. Chiefs safety Bryan Cook appeared ready to make a tackle, but some neat footwork from Likely allowed him to dodge the tackle and reach the end zone.
The Ravens may have cut the deficit, but their efforts were in vain as Mahomes threw a perfect pass to a wide-open Worthy, who sprinted for his second touchdown of his dream NFL debut.
More to follow.
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