The Baltimore Ravens began this season the same way last season ended, with a seven-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
And just like last season’s AFC Championship Game, mistakes once again played a big role for Baltimore.
What Went Right for Ravens vs. Chiefs?
There were certainly positives for Baltimore’s offense.
Just as they did in last January’s AFC Championship Game, Baltimore outgained Kansas City, this time by nearly 100 yards — 452 to Kansas City’s 353.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson once again showed why he earned the MVP last season, finishing with nearly 400 yards of total offense — 273 passing yards and 122 rushing yards. He was responsible for nearly 90% of the Ravens’ offense Thursday (395 of 452 yards).
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And did the Ravens unknowingly introduce a changing of the guard at the tight end position for fantasy managers?
Isaiah Likely, perhaps seeing more time on the field because of a less-than-100% Mark Andrews, had a career night on Thursday, finishing with nine receptions for a career-high 111 yards and a touchdown.
But Baltimore would prefer that his stat line read 10-121-2. That would have meant a 10-yard touchdown catch on the game’s final play would have counted. But Likely’s toe hitting the back of the end zone line nullified the score and gave the Chiefs the narrow win.
“I thought Isaiah played a great football game,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said afterward. “I was proud of him and a lot of other guys, too.”
Baltimore also gave a glimpse of what its offense could look like with Derrick Henry in the backfield. Henry enjoyed a good first half — 33 yards on eight carries and a touchdown — but he fizzled out in the second half.
Where Ravens Fell Short in Week 1
In a word, penalties. Seven of them for 64 yards, including five in the first half.
This no doubt brought back memories of the conference championship game when the Ravens outgained the Chiefs but committed eight penalties for 95 yards in that loss.
Three of the Ravens’ seven penalties Thursday were for an illegal formation. Baltimore was actually called for five such penalties, but two were declined.
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As mentioned, while Henry looked like the player who once was the NFL’s top running back in the first half, in the second half, his production slowed to a crawl in the final two quarters. Henry’s second half consisted of just five carries for 13 yards.
And while Jackson was once again the man for the Ravens, he was left to carry the offense almost by himself. Jackson had 59 of the Ravens’ 80 rushing yards in the second half, and the offense that was so balanced in the first half — 105 rushing yards and 99 passing yards — was lopsided on the passing side in the second half — 168 yards passing to 80 yards rushing.
Granted, the Ravens trailed throughout the second half, so more passing was necessary. And Jackson did do a better job throwing the ball downfield in the second half (7.3 yards per pass attempt), after averaging less than 6 yards per attempt in the first half (5.8).
In the end, the Ravens put up a pretty solid effort for a season opener. And for all the mistakes and things that went wrong, they were still a toe away from possibly winning the season opener on the road.
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