Xavier Worthy shines, Chiefs take the NFL season opener at Arrowhead

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs began the first night of the 2024 NFL season by unveiling the new Super Bowl LVIII banner at Arrowhead Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and a touchdown, and the Kansas City defense kept Lamar Jackson and the Ravens out of the end zone on three consecutive plays in the closing seconds. That allowed the Chiefs to begin their pursuit of a third straight Super Bowl title with a 27-20 victory over Baltimore on Thursday night.

The first game of the 2024 season was a bout between the Ravens and Chiefs, which was what many considered to be the marquee matchup of the 2023 playoffs.

First Quarter

The Ravens came out hot on their first drive, despite multiple offensive penalties.

Derek Henry, the 2019 NFL rushing leader, scored his first touchdown as a Raven in the team’s first drive of the season, powering the ball into the endzone on a five-yard run.

However, Mahomes and company came out swinging as well. In the Chiefs’ first drive since the Super Bowl, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy scored the very first time he touched the ball in an NFL game, showing off his electric speed on a 21-yard run for six.

Second Quarter

In the first series of the second quarter, the Chiefs forced a Lamar Jackson fumble to get the ball back. The Chiefs almost took it all the way to their endzone, but a throw to JuJu Smith-Schuster didn’t connect and the Butker nailed a field goal to put the Chiefs up 10-7.

The big highlight of the second quarter was Mahomes connecting with Travis Kelce to become the Chiefs’ all-time passing yards leader, surpassing Chiefs legend Len Dawson. This drive ended as Mahomes couldn’t complete a deep pass in the end zone to Worthy, and Butker kicked another field goal.

Baltimore’s kicker, Justin Tucker, had a chance to put three more on the board for the Ravens just after the two-minute warning, but the kick was no good.

The Chiefs’ final drive of the first half ended with an abysmal interception from Mahomes.

Baltimore then responded by going down the field, while Lamar Jackson became the third leading rushing quarterback in NFL history, behind Cam Newton and Michael Vick. Tucker hit a field goal with seconds left, and Mahomes took a knee to close out the half.

Third Quarter

The Chiefs scored again on their opening drive of the second half, as Pacheco rammed in a one-yard touchdown for the only points of the third quarter.

Mahomes got involved in the push on this play, which had some fans holding their breath, but he came away unscathed, celebrating with Pacheco.

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter opened up with a stunning play from Lamar Jackson and Ravens WR Isiah Likely. The Chiefs’ D-line did all they could to sack Jackson on the play, he responded by rolling out right and throwing to Likely, who finished off the 49-yard play with shifty jukes that made it a three-point game.

However, Xavier Worthy wasn’t done yet. On blown coverage in the Ravens’ secondary, Worthy snuck through for a 35-yard touchdown, putting the Chiefs back up ten on his second touchdown of the game and NFL career.

Feeling the pressure at Arrowhead, the Ravens came back out onto the field resilient, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the O-line issues the team had been experiencing all game. Baltimore still got points on the board, though, as Tucker kicked another field goal.

The Ravens had one more chance to tie the game up or take the lead late in the fourth. Jackson completed a pass to Rashod Bateman, setting up the team in the red zone to tie or steal the game.

Shortly after, Jackson made a stellar throw to a receiver in the back of the endzone, which was called a touchdown. This would’ve allowed the Ravens to either go for two and attempt to win, or kick the extra point and send the game to overtime. However, the receiver stepped out on the play by less than a toe, resulting in the Chiefs’ first win of the three-peat campaign.

Takeaways

• The Chiefs’ receiving core has clearly improved from last season. With Rashee Rice continuing to develop (7 rec, 103 yds) and the addition of Xavier Worthy (1 rush TD, 1 rec TD), the Chiefs offense has the potential to return to its former glory, especially when Hollywood Brown returns next week.
• The Chiefs’ defense, while it’s still probably too early to tell, is slightly worse than it was last year. However, this was expected in losing some key players during the offseason. The defense didn’t play badly necessarily, and Lamar Jackson is nearly impossible to contain, so the defense is something that fans should have their eyes on in weeks to come.
• The Mahomes/Kelce connection still has some gas in the tank. While Kelce has hinted at retirement recently, it’s clear he’s still all in on the three-peat, collecting three catches for just over 30 yards.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.