The defending back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs delivered a thrilling 27-20 home win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football to launch the 2024 NFL season.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
Xavier Worthy looks to be a force
With the 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected wide receiver Xavier Worthy. And the dynamic rookie and fastest ever man in the NFL Combine made an instant impact.
On his very first touch of the game, Worthy blazed through holes in the Ravens' defense for a 21-yard blur of a rushing touchdown. Later, during the fourth quarter, Worthy completely lost his defender in 1-on-1 coverage for a 35-yard TD pass from Patrick Mahomes.
In short, Mahomes has a new dynamic weapon in Worthy who has breakout star written all over him . Hopefully, you nabbed him on your Fantasy Football squad.
Patrick Mahomes' intangibles are amazing
A three-time Super Bowl champion, Mahomes' ability to make practically any throw has been documented over time. Ditto for his knack for improvising and making plays on his feet by scrambling to buy time.
But the superstar QB just flat out has a knack for making the right play. With the Chiefs holding onto a 27-20 lead with 2:36 remaining, Mahomes literally caught a pass from himself after his attempt was deflected into the air. Positioning himself to leap up and come down with this ball was vital to the Chiefs holding onto the win and avoiding a potentially disastrous interception.
Lamar Jackson is the GOAT when it comes to rushing as a quarterback
When defenses bring the blitz and flush Jackson out the pocket, they're doing it at their own peril. The Chiefs knew that from last year and had that reinforced on Thursday Night Football as Jackson dazzled out the pocket and made something out of nothing by delivering magic on his feet.
It's time to call him the Greatest of All Time when it comes to rushing as a quarterback. His 122 yards on the ground for the night had him reaching 100-plus rushing yards for the 14th time in his career. There's the proof of his GOAT status.
Derrick Henry needs more touches moving forward
In his debut with the Ravens, the bruising Henry punched in the first touchdown of this 2024 NFL season, but faded away in use as Baltimore trailed late and needed to take it to the air.
While his 13 carries are a good start, Henry needs more touches moving forward. Doing this will allow Baltimore to chew up the clock and create havoc on play actions with Jackson.
When football is called a game of inches, it's the truth
Credit the official review of the NFL for quickly reviewing Isaiah Likely's touchdown reception and promptly overturning the call to effectively and accurately end the game.
The replay review was swift, smooth and highly efficient with cameras showing us how close Likely was to snagging this reception, having just failed to drag a second foot in the end zone, reinforcing that football is indeed a game of inches.