Crows return fails to win against Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs continued their dominance over their main NFL rivals, beating the Baltimore Ravens 27-20 in a crucial early-season game after wide receiver Isaiah Likely left the field trying to score a touchdown in the closing seconds.

Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a two-touchdown performance from rookie receiver Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs picked up where they left off in the Super Bowl and look like legitimate contenders for a third straight title.

Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson fell to 1-5 in his career against Mahomes.

Here are the keys to know about the game:

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have selected Worthy to help bring the big play back to their offense. He won’t always perform as well as he did in his NFL debut, but judging from Thursday night, he’ll have a big impact.

Worthy, a first-round pick by the Chiefs, scored on his first NFL touchdown on a 21-yard run. He later scored on a 35-yard pass from Mahomes.

Worthy seemed to fit in well with a wide receiver group that includes Rashe Rice and Marquise Brown. Brown did not play against the Ravens due to a shoulder injury but is expected to return early in the season.

Buy/Sell on Breakout Performance: Worthy scored on a 21-yard run the first time he got the ball in an NFL game. In the fourth quarter, he caught a 35-yard pass. While he won’t always score two touchdowns in a game, Worthy is expected to have that kind of impact. He won’t necessarily get a ton of touches, but he’ll make the most of what he gets.

QB Details: Mahomes made a crucial mistake by forcing the Chiefs to pass the ball late in the first half, and it was intercepted. It cost the Chiefs chances at times, and it put the Ravens in good field position, which they used to kick a field goal. Otherwise, it was a solid game from Mahomes. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards, surpassing Len Dawson as the all-time leading passer in Chiefs history.

Amazing advanced statistics: WR Rice, who caught seven passes for 103 yards, had 72 of those yards after receiving, the second-highest number in a single game of his career. Mahomes was often able to find him when he moved downfield with a defender behind him or in zone coverage. — Adam Teicher

Next match: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS, Sept. 15)

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens’ season started the same way their last season ended – a frustrating defeat to Mahomes and the Chiefs.

In a rematch of the NFL Championship Game, Jackson and the Ravens lost 1-5 to Mahomes, and Jackson has a 60-19 (.759) record against the rest of the league, including the postseason.

On the final drive, Jackson drove the Ravens to Kansas City’s 10-yard line, where he took three shots into the end zone. Jackson missed a tackle from Zay Flowers in the end zone and then appeared to pass a 10-yard touchdown pass to Likely. But Likely’s right foot hit the end line, flipping the score as time expired.

Jackson, the reigning NFL MVP, did everything he could to keep Baltimore in the game, posting his ninth game with 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards, the most in NFL history. Even with Jackson’s performance, the Ravens couldn’t keep up with Mahomes’s strong passing, who has now recorded 14 touchdowns and three interceptions in his career against Baltimore.

QB Details: The most frustrating part of Jackson’s game was his play inside the 20-yard line. In the first half, Jackson finished 1-of-4 for 9 yards in the red zone with two throws off target, including a batted pass to a wide-open Justice Hill. This was a far cry from last season, when Jackson completed 68% of his passes in the red zone. Also, Jackson fumbled at his own 13-yard line in the second quarter, leading to a Chiefs field goal. Jackson has now lost four rebounds in six games against Kansas City.

A worrying trend: The Chiefs continue to pounce on quarterback Mark Andrews, who was Jackson’s favorite target. Andrews wasn’t targeted until five minutes into the second half and finished with two catches for 14 yards. In his previous five games with Kansas City, Andrews averaged 21.8 receiving yards and didn’t score.

Amazing statistic: With 122 yards of rushing, Jackson passed Russell Wilson for third place on the all-time list of quarterbacks with the most rushing yards. Jackson now trails only Michael Vick (6,109 yards) and Cam Newton (5,628). But Vick and Newton have played in more than 140 games. Thursday night was Jackson’s 87th career game.

The biggest question: What are the implications of Baltimore’s loss to the Chiefs? While you can’t overreact to a Week 1 loss, this opener once again showed that Mahomes has the Ravens’ numbers. Baltimore knew they couldn’t match last season’s NFL championship loss, but the Ravens left Thursday with more uncertainty about their ability to beat Mahomes. Now, with a head-to-head playoff loss, the Ravens may have to make the Super Bowl via Arrowhead, where Jackson is 0-3. –Jamison Hensley

Next match: vs. Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET, CBS, Sept. 15)