Kansas City Chiefs win by a TOE! Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes avoid huge Baltimore Ravens scare to start the three-peat shot with a victory – as Taylor Swift cheers from the stands
The Kansas City Chiefs began their bid for a 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 27-27 with zero seconds left on the clock, but tight end Isaiah Likely’s toe was out of bounds after he caught a pass from Lamar Jackson.
Taylor Swift watched at Arrowhead Stadium as his friend Travis Kelce and his teammates got their season off to the perfect start with a win over their formidable AFC rivals that could already have playoff implications.
It was also the perfect NFL debut for Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy, who showed off his blistering speed by scoring two touchdowns.
Jackson put in an inspiring performance to keep the Ravens happy, but he painfully missed a pass to a wide-open Zay Flowers in the end zone before hitting out-of-bounds Likely on the next play.
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs secured 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 was out of bounds, sending Chiefs fans wild
Taylor Swift made a triumphant return to Arrowhead Stadium, where she watched alongside Kelce’s parents
You wouldn’t bet against these two teams meeting again on January 26 in the AFC Championship game, like they did last season when the Chiefs won in Baltimore and Swift ran onto the field to celebrate with a game-winning Kelce.
The singer has been a regular at Chiefs games since her relationship with Kelce went public in September 2023. She watched the games 13 times last season, including the Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
Taking a break from her successful Eras Tour, the pop star walked into Arrowhead Stadium about 40 minutes after Kelce on Thursday night, rocking a denim Versace co-ord with 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 ignore the wife of star Chiefs quarterback Patrick because it seemed like she was supporting Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
When the partners of the Chiefs’ two biggest stars took their seats on opening night of the NFL, they appeared to be in different suites. It’s a marked difference from last season, when they were inseparable during games.
Swift took her usual spot in Kelce’s luxury suite alongside the tight end’s family and friends. She was captured sitting next to both of Kelce’s parents – Ed and Donna – in the first half.
Derrick Henry broke through the Chiefs defense and scored the first touchdown of the season
Xavier Worthy’s speed was too much for the Ravens defense as he broke through to score
Mahomes, meanwhile, sat in another suite with her adorable daughter Sterling Skye as she cheered on her husband.
After seven months without football, fans had to wait another 20 minutes as a heavy but brief storm hit Arrowhead Stadium, bringing torrential rain and lightning.
The Ravens went to war first with a quick drive down the field in the first quarter, showing there are no aftermaths of last season’s AFC Championship game loss to the Chiefs.
Their big midseason acquisition, Derrick Henry, proved why John Harbaugh was so keen to bring him to Baltimore, as he tore through the Chiefs defense and scored the first touchdown of the new season.
But Andy Reid’s own new recruit tied the score on the Chiefs’ first drive. The speed of Xavier Worthy was too much for the Ravens defense as he burst through a hole to score in his first NFL start.
Patrick Mahomes celebrates Chiefs’ perfect start to new NFL season
Two field goals from controversial kicker Harrison Butker gave the Chiefs a 13-7 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, however, they increased their lead even further when Isiah Pacheco was pushed over the line.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, however, Isaiah Likely caught a pass from Lamar Jackson and charged down the sideline. It looked like Chiefs safety Bryan Cook was ready to make a tackle, but some nifty footwork from Likely saw him evade the tackle and reach the end zone.
The Ravens may have narrowed the deficit, but their efforts were for naught when Mahomes threw a perfect pass to the wide-open Worthy, who sprinted for his second touchdown and made his dream NFL debut.
More to come.