A furious Baltimore Ravens comeback bid in Kansas City came up a toe shy.
Trailing by double-digits in the fourth quarter, Lamar Jackson drove Baltimore on two lengthy drives to give the Ravens a shot at the victory. A 13-play possession netted Baltimore a chip-shot field goal to pull within 27-20. After the defense got a stop, the Ravens drove 77 yards to the precipice of another score. Two misfires by Jackson set up the final bid with five seconds remaining on the clock.
Avoiding Chiefs' Chris Jones coming off the edge, Jackson zipped a pass to tight end Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone. The TE went up for the pigskin and was shoved by K.C. linebacker Nick Bolton on the way down. Refs called it a touchdown before video review showed the edge of Likely's toe came down a smidge in the white paint.
Jackson wasn't convinced the evidence told the truth.
"I thought it was a touchdown," Jackson said after the loss, via the team's transcript. "I thought it was a touchdown. I still think it's a touchdown."
Likewise, Likely didn't seem convinced his toe was out either, noting, "At this point, you just have to live with the call," but he didn't go as far as to reject the evidence.
"That's on me," he said. "I just have to get both feet in. I harp on myself to catch everything and make sure everybody puts us in the best possibility, so I take responsibility. Next time, I'm going to get my feet down."
The end was nearly the perfect cherry to an extraordinary night for the third-year pro. Likely set career highs with nine receptions and 111 yards, adding a touchdown. He was the first Baltimore tight end with 100-plus yards in a game in more than a season -- since he hit the plateau as a rookie in Week 18, 2022.
The highlight came on a 49-yard touchdown catch and run wherein the athletic tight end displayed his athleticism, making wide-receiver-type jukes in space. Two plays before the toe-betraying final play, Likely went down hurt in the back of the end zone, but after missing one snap he returned to nearly help pull off the comeback.
"Isaiah played just a great football game, [the] craziest game," coach John Harbaugh said. "[He made] so many plays, especially down the stretch, play after play. ... I thought Isaiah played a great football game. I was proud of him and a lot of other guys, too."
The Ravens battled back late, but persistent miscues all game undid their chance to pull off the road upset. Baltimore was called for seven penalties (64 yards), including a flurry of procedural flags on offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. Justin Tucker missed an early 53-yard field goal. The defense got torched by Rashee Rice on slants. The offensive line struggled early. Jackson misfired some passes, particularly in the final sequence.
"This is the worst we'll play all season," linebacker Roquan Smith said. "I can promise you that."
Likely echoed those sentiments but added a dig at the Chiefs.
"I'd say this is probably the worst game we're going to play all year, so if this is the best that they've got, good luck in the postseason," he said.
With their own drops, drive-stalling flubs and errors, the Chiefs certainly wouldn't call this their best game, either.
The Ravens came up short, similar to how they ended the 2023 campaign in the AFC Championship game. After a thrilling kickoff, let's hope we get another bout in January.
