Lamar Jackson, Isaiah Likely Near-Heroics Stun Fans as Chiefs Beat Ravens by Inches

The Baltimore Ravens began the 2024 NFL season the same way they ended last season with a loss to the Kanas City Chiefs.

The Ravens dropped their season opener 27-20 at Arrowhead Stadium Thursday night in heartbreaking fashion as what would have been a game-tying touchdown catch ended up being caught out of bounds.

Baltimore went into halftime with a manageable 13-10 deficit, but the Chiefs took a 10-point lead on their first drive of the second half. The two sides traded touchdowns to start the fourth quarter and the Ravens drained a field goal to make it a one-touchdown deficit in the final five minutes.

From there, Baltimore got the stop it needed before driving down the field in the final two minutes. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson completed a pass to Isaiah Likely in the endzone as time expired and the catch would have made it a 27-26 game, giving the Ravens the chance to either tie or take the lead, but Likely's toe was just out of bounds, sealing the loss for the Baltimore.

After the dramatic ending of Thursday's game, NFL fans were stunned on social media.

Jackson had a productive game with 273 passing yards and a touchdown along with 122 yards on the ground, but Ravens fans had questions after the loss.

The biggest one was about Baltimore's lack of usage for star running back Derrick Henry, who had just 46 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

The good news for the Ravens is that they still have 16 games to figure things out, and the next few weeks will likely be spent figuring out how to better incorporate Henry into the offense.

Baltimore spent a significant amount of money to make Henry a Raven this offseason, and they didn't get their money's worth on Thursday. It ultimately wasn't the reason for the loss, but getting Henry more touches could lead to more success for Baltimore moving forward.