Baltimore Ravens 20 - 27 Kansas City Chiefs summary, stats, scores and highlights | NFL Week 1

Upon further review, Likely had a toe out of bounds as he came down in the back of the endzone and the TD catch was ruled incomplete on the final play of the game. The Ravens fell short of getting revenge for their AFC Championship loss to the Chiefs in the season opener.

I know it's only Week 1, but this game might go a long way in determining the AFC playoff picture in a few months time. This a game we very well could see again come January. 

After missing Likely in the corner of the endzone on first down and Flowers in the back of the endzone on second down, Jackson went back to Likely who looked like he made the catch, turned, hung on to the ball and kept his feet in bounds to potentially tie or take the lead. JIm Harbaugh looked like he wanted to go for two.... but

The two MVPs went toe-to-toe until the final bell and what a show they put on for us. Jackson had a chance to tie that game and did just about everything he could do to put the Ravens in the end zone. This deep shot to Bateman set up the final Goal-to-go series with under 20 seconds on the clock. 

It's not just the side arm TDs, or the majestic escapes out of the pocket before throwing a laser over the middle. These are the plays that win games. Mahomes knew he was going to have to catch this ball to prevent an INT that would have set the Ravens up in perfect position to tie the game up late in the 4th.

Worthy had a debut that most rookies can only dream about. One rushing TD and one receiving TD that turns out to be the game winner. Worthy ended the night with just one reception, but the rookie picked the right time to make his first catch in the NFL. Not many players in NFL history have scored a rushing TD and a receiving TD on their first day on the job. 

Mahomes' problems of the past seem to be gone. He's got a fantastic WR corp around him, and he is going to put up big numbers this season. He went 20/28 for 291 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT in the debut, and that was just enough to lead his team to the Week 1 win.

Like Rice with Mahomes, Isaiah Likely is quickly becoming Lamar Jackson's favorite target. The TE got a lot of playing time late last year when Mark Andrews went down with an injury, and now he turning into an impact player for Jackson and the offense. Look at the move from Lamar, and then watch Likley stop on a dime right before crossing the goal line. 

With the offensive line struggling, most of Lamar Jackson's damage came from outside of the pocket. He was the leading rusher on both sides of the ball, going for 122 yards on a night that he was constantly on the move. He did end the night with 273 yards on 26/41 passing, but he kept the Ravens in the game with his feet. 

Isaiah Pacheco had a very Isaiah Pacheco sort of day. He did the dirty work. Picked up first downs late in the game. Made catches out of the backfield when he needed to, and beat the Ravens defense up despite rushing for just 45 yards on 15 carries. 

Even though last year was Rashee Rice's rookie season, you could tell he and Mahomes were developing something special. Those two had a great start to the season, connecting seven times for 103 yards. He could become Mahomes' top target this season, if he hasn't already. 

The Chiefs had a chance to take all the momentum into the halftime break after Justin Tucker missed a rare field goal from the 43 and that gave KC great field position with under 2:00 to go. Mahomes got his on the throw and that led to Roquan Smith making a great diving catch to give the ball back to Jackson who would put the Ravens into FG range and cut the lead to 13-10 at half. 

And of course, the real headline of the night was Taylor Swift's attendance at Arrowhead. She was there like she was most of last season, cheering on her man, Travis Kelce who had a quiet night with three catches and 34 yards. 

Things would settle down a little after the two opening drive touchdowns, but Chris Jones electrified Arrowhead with a strip sack on Jackson that led to a field goal. Jackson was pressured all night as his young offensive line had trouble with Jones and the rest of the Chiefs pass rush. He was only sacked once, but this turn over led to points for KC as they took the lead and didn't give it back. 

The Chiefs took the opening blow and countered with a five play drive in which Patrick Mahomes marched his side down the field with a couple of long connections with Rashee Rice and the rookie Xavier Worthy would take it from there. On the first touch of his NFL career, the fastest 40-yard dash runner in the history of the combine turned on the jets and raced into the endzone for a 21 yard end around. 

It was woth the wait. The NFL season opener from Kansas City was always going to be a spectacle with two MVP quarterbacks playing in a rematch of the AFC title game last winter. It lived up to the billing, coming down to the very last play as the Kansas City Chefs held off the Baltimore Ravens on the final play of the game. 

The Ravens had all offseason to plot their revenge on the Chiefs after their heartbreaking loss in the conference championship, and it looked like they were itching for this day to come. They marched down the field from the opening kickoff, and despite a handful of illegal motion penalties, drew first blood with this Derrick Henry TD run to being his reign in Baltimore. Henry had 46 yards on 13 carries in his debut, but it was Lamar Jackson doing most of the heavy lifting on the ground. 

On the final play of the game, Jackson looks to the back of the endzone for Likely who makes the catch to tie the game... but his toe was out of bounds! Likely had a monster night, but missed out on a the TD catch by a matter of inches. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!!

Baltimore was a toe away from tying that game up on the final play of the game! Chiefs survive the opener! What a way to open the season!!!

Jackson finds Likely in the back of the endzone, and it's been ruled a TD, but they are going to the replay and it looks like Likely's toe was on the chalk. That's going to be called incomplete and KC is going to win!

Jackson steps up in the pocket and had Flowers wide open in the back of the endzone but that pass was way behind the WR. 

3rd and Goal from the 10. 

Jackson looks to the corner of the endzone for Likely but that pass was a touch overthrown and he is slow to get up after he came down hard on his shoulder. 

2nd and Goal from the 10 with 10 seconds left. 

Jackson rolls to the right side and he finds Bateman who jumped up and caught it at the highest point at the 10 yard line!

1st and Goal from the 10 with 18 on the clock!

Jackson to the left sideline to Likley and he slides out of bounds after a 4 yard gain and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the KC 48 with 43 on the clock. 

Jackson steps up in the pocket and finds Hill for a short gain of 7 yards. 

2nd and 3 from the BAL 48. 

Jackson tucks it and dives for a first down and the clock will stop after Chenal stayed down on the ground injured. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 41 with 1:11 to go. 

Jackson finds Likely again, and he picks up 8 yards before being pushed out of bounds with 1:26 to go. 

3rd and 2 from the BAL 38. 

Jackson goes deep for Bateman down the left sideline but that pass was slightly over thrown. 

2nd and 10 from the BAL 30. 

Jackson gets to the corner on the scramble and gets pushed out of bounds with a 9 yard gain with 1:37 to go. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 30. 

Jackson finds Likely on the sideline for a gain of 9. 

2nd and 1 from the BAL 21. 

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens take over from the BAL 13 with 1:50 to go. 

Mahomes rolls to the right and tried to throw it back across the field, but it was deflected and he caught it before it got intercepted but got taken down after a gain of 1. 

4th and 9 and we are heading to the Two Minute Warning in KC. 

Steele gets the handoff to the left side but he is cut down by Smith and the Ravens take a timeout with 2:36 to go. 

3rd and 10 from the KC 40 coming up. 

Pacheco to the right side and he picks up 2 yards. 

2nd and 8 from the KC 42. 

Pacheco gets the screen pass on the right side and got tackled but his knee never hit the ground so he hopped up and took it for a first down on the second effort!

1st and 10 form the KC 40. 

A false start backs up the Chiefs five yards, and Mahomes breaks a scramble down the sideline for a first down, but a hold on KC and a late hit on Mahomes will offset and we will replay the down. 

2nd and 10 from the KC 30. 

Pacheco gets the handoff to the right side and he picks up 5 yards on first down. 

2nd and 5 from the KC 35. 

KC ball at their 30 with 4:54 to go. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

Tucker with a field goal from 32 yards out and it's a one possession game with under 5:00 to go from KC. 

KC lead 27-20 with 4:55 to go. 

Jackson tried to tuck it and run, but got stopped after a gain of just 2. 

4th and 4 from the KC 14 and the FG unit comes on. 

Jackson was in the arms of a defender in the backfield but was out of the pocket and tossed it out of bounds before taking a sack. 

3rd and 6 from the KC 16. 

Jackson with another scramble and he picks up 4 yards. 

2nd and 6 from the KC 16. 

The Ravens keep the offense on the field and Henry moves the pile for a gain of 2 yards and a first down conversion!

1st and 10 from the BAL 19. 

Jackson finds Andrews on the short out route but he slipped as he tried to turn up field and was cut down before the marker. 

4th and 1 from the BAL 21. 

Short pass to the left side for Agholor for a gain of 6 yards. 

3rd and 4 from the KC 25. 

Jackson looking for Andrews in the endzone but that pass was overthrown.

2nd and 10 from the KC 31. 

Jackson with a slow rolling run to the right side and he spins around a defender for a 13 yard pick up and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the KC 31. 

Henry was chopped down on his run through the middle but not before he picked up 5 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the KC 44. 

Jackson to the left side and he picks up 9 yards on first down as he inches closer to 100 yards rushing. 

2nd and 1 from the KC 49. 

Pass to the flat for Likely who picks up the first down with a 4 yard gain. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 42. 

BAL take over from the 30 and Flowers gets the end around that he takes for 8 yards. 

2nd and 2 from the BAL 38. 

Mahomes is going to love his newest, fastest weapon at WR. Xavier Worthy is having a debut to remember with a rushing and receiving TD. 

Pacheco to the right side but he is pushed out of bounds for no gain. 

2nd and 10 form the BAL 35. 

Mahomes with a QB keeper but he looked it he was going to dump it off the entire time until he raced past a defender to the marker and got hit after the fact, but no flag flies!

1st and 10 from the BAL 35. 

Pacheco gets it back out of the shotgun and he takes it for 2 yards. 

3rd and 3 from the BAL 39. 

Pacheco shifting his way up the field for a gain of 5 yards. 

2nd and 5 from the BAL 41. 

Mahomes with a sidearm sling to Gray for a gain of 13 yards on the right side. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 46. 

Pachecho gets the carry to the right side for a gain of 3 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 46. 

Mahomes to the right side for Rice who picks up 8 yards before being pushed out of bounds. 

2nd and 2 from the KC 38. 

First watch the move from Lamar to get out of the pocket, and the watch Likley take it to the house after making the catch with plenty of work to do. Likely is quickly becoming as important to this team as Flowers or Andrews. 

WE ARE HEADED TO THE FORTH QUARTER FROM KANSAS CITY AND THE CHIEFS LEAD 20-10

Jackson on the QB keeper to the right side for a gain of 3 yards. 

2nd and 17 from the KC 49. 

Jackson roll to the right and tucks it again for a huge gain, but that play is going to come back after a holding call on BAL. 

1st and 20 from the BAL 48. 

Jackson hung in the pocket, and then tucked it for a gain of 16 yards and a first down!

1st and 10 from the KC 42. 

Henry gets the ball back but this time gets stopped after a gain of a yard. 

3rd and 3 from the BAL 42. 

Henry on the run to the right side and he follows his blockers for a gain of 6 yards. 

2nd and 4 from the BAL 41. 

Jackson finds Bateman on the comeback route to the right side. That 15 yard gain moves the chains. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 35. 

The Ravens start their drive from the 20 and Jackson's pass to the flat is too far in front of Henry. 

2nd and 10 from the BAL 20. 

Mahomes looking for Perine out of the backfield as the pressure left that side of the field wide open but he couldn't drag in the catch and the Chiefs will punt. 

4th and 5 from the BAL 40. 

Mahomes rolls to the right side but he couldn't find anyone down field and threw it away. 

3rd and 5 from the BAL 40. 

Steele gets the handoff and he picks up 5 yards on first down. 

2nd and 5 from the BAL 40. 

Perine with a big gain off a screen pass and he takes it into BAL territory. 

1st and 10 fro the BAL 45. 

The Chiefs take over at the 10 yard line and Pacheco takes a couple carries for 7 yards before Kelce moves the chains with a 10 yard catch over the middle. 

1st and 10 from the KC 27. 

Jackson steps up in the pocket looking for Flowers down the right sideline but Watson was there to bat that ball away!

4th and 12 and the Ravens will punt. 

Jackson goes deep for Likely but that pass was overthrown and almost intercepted. 

3rd and 12 from the KC 45. 

Henry was taken down in the backfield for a loss of 2. 

2nd and 12 from the KC 45. 

Jackson to the left side for Andrews and he gets 12 yards on the pitch and catch. 

1st and 10 from the KC 43. 

Dump off from Jackson to Hill and he turns up field for gain of 17 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 43. 

Jackson finds Flowers in the flat but he is taken down for a loss of two yards. 

3rd and 12 from the BAL 28. 

BAL take over from their 30 yard line and Jackson's pass to Flowers falls incomplete. 

2nd and 10 from the BAL 30. 

Pacheco went down earlier in the drive, but came back and took the 1 yard TD run over the goal line for the second TD of the Chiefs night. 

You could see this relationship blossoming last year, and in their second year together Mahomes and Rice are looking almost unstoppable. 

Screen pass set up fro Gray and he dives for a 13 yard gain just short of the goal line.

1st and Goal from the 1. 

Mahomes to the left side for Smith-Schuster and that fell incomplete but a late flag flies as a roughing the passer penalty will give the Chiefs a first down. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 14. 

Slant pattern to Rice was batted down by Simpson and that falls incomplete. 

2nd and 20 from the BAL 28. 

Pacheco up the middle for a gain of 9, but a holding call is going to bring that run back. 

1st and 20 from the BAL 28. 

Mahomes off the play action and he side steps a tackle in the backfield before hitting Watson over the middle for a gain of 25 yards!

1st and 10 from the KC 18. 

Mahomes over the middle for Rice and he breaks a tackle and busts it up field for a big gain of 33 yards!

1st and 10 from the BAL 43. 

The Chiefs take over from the 19 after a holding call on the return. Pacheco gets the handoff to the right side and picks up 5 yards. 

2nd and 5 from the KC 24. 

WE ARE BACK KC FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION FROM ARROWHEAD. 

Swifties, here you go! The season has started and that means fresh Taylor/Travis footage. Taylor is in the box with Mama Kelce cheering on No. 87. Didn't see Jason in the box, but I'm sure he's somewhere watching. 

Mahomes is 9/17  for 117 yards, but only hit Kelce twice for 24 yards, and of course his mega star GF is in attendance. 

The KC D-line has got to Jackson over and over again, and Chris Jones came up with a huge play a the beginning of the second quarter, stripping Jackson which led to a FG as KC took their first lead. 

Mahomes and the Chiefs answered right back with a five play drive that was capped off with Xavier Worthy's TD on the first touch of his NFL career. HE is the fastest player in NFL Combine history, and he showed it on this burst to the endzone. 

The Ravens had all offseason to stew on their loss in the AFC Championship, and came out looking hungry. Jackson led his team down the field despite a handful of illegal formations, and it was Derrick Henry that punched the ball in on his first drive as a Raven. Henry has 8 rushes for 33 yards and this TD that got Baltimore out in front early on. 

WE ARE HEADING TO HALFTIME FROM ARROWHEAD!!!

THE CHIEFS LEAD 13-10 AFTER 30 MINUTES!

FIELD GOAL!!!

Tucker cuts into the lead with a 25 yard field goal after missing the 50 yarder just a few minutes ago. 

KC leads 13-10 with three seconds on the clock. 

Jackson was under pressure again, and had to throw it out of bounds to allow the FG unit to come on. 

3rd and 10 from the KC 6. 

Jackson's pass over the middle is tipped and deflected by Chenal. 

2nd and 10 from the KC 6. 

Pitch to Hill on the right side and he gets three yards and a first down. Timeout with 13 seconds to go in the half. 

1st and 10 from the KC 6. 

Jackson steps up in the pocket and he loops it to Flowers but that was too far out in front of him. 

3rd and 1 from the KC 10. 

Jackson with a short pass to the right side for LIkely and he stretches for a gain of 9 yards. Timeout BAL with 21 seconds left.

2nd and 1 from the KC 10. 

Jackson side arms it to Likely to the right side and he gets out of bounds at the KC 19 with 32 seconds to go. 

1st and 10 from the KC 19. 

Jackson with another scramble to the left side and he gets 6 yards on first down. 

2nd and 4 from the KC 28. 

Jackson up the middle and he picks up 10 yards to move the chains. 

1st and 10 from the KC 34. 

Jackson to the left side and Hill takes it up the sideline for a gain of 7 yards. 

2nd and 3 from the BAL 41. 

INTERCEPTION!!!

After the missed field goal Mahomes goes over the middle with pressure in his face and that was picked by Smith at the BAL 49!!!

Here come the Ravens with 1:44 to go!

MISSED FIELD GOAL!!!!

Tucker misses his first field goal attempt of the year, and that sends Arrowhead into a frenzy!

KC ball from their 43 with 1:50 to go!

Jackson felt the pressure closing in and forced a throw to Bateman but it fell short of the intended receiver. Here comes Tucker and the FG unit. 

4th and 8 from the KC 35. 

Flowers on the slant pattern and he picks up 9 yards as we head to the Two-Minute Warning!

3rd and 8 from the KC 35. 

Jackson to Andrews on a short pass but an illegal formation penalty takes that play off the board. 

2nd and 17 from the KC 44. . 

After a delay of game, Jackson takes it to the right side on the QB keeper and he picks up 3 yards. 

2nd and 12 from the KC 34. 

Jackson tucks it and takes it up the middle for a gain of 13 yards and another first down. 

1st and 10 from the KC 37. 

Henry gets the handoff to the right side and he takes it for a gain of 9 yards to the 50. 

1st and 10 from midfield. 

End around from left to right for Flowers and he cuts up field for a 6 yard gain. 

2nd and 4 fro the BAL 41. 

BAL take over from the 30 looking to score for the first time since the opening drive, and Jackson looks over the middle for Flowers and he was hog tied before the pass got there. A flag flies and the Ravens get a first down. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 35. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

Butker with a 31 yard field goal to extend the lead. 

KC lead 13-7 with 5:44 to go in the first half. 

Pressure came on Mahomes and he lobbed it up for Worthy but a great play from Washington to bat that pass down in the end zone. 

4th and 5 and the FG unit comes on. 

Mahomes over the middle for Kelce who got his hands to it but couldn't make the catch. 

3rd and 5 from the BAL 13. 

Pacheco up the middle and he gets 5 yards on first down. 

2nd and 5 from the BAL 13. 

Mahomes with a quick strike to Worthy and he picks up 12 yards and a first down before getting pushed out of bounds. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 18. 

A false start on Taylor backs up the Chiefs five yards, and Mahomes works his first bit of magic of the season, escaping a rush 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage and finds Kelce for a 23 yard pick up on 3rd and long!

1st and 10 from the KC 30. 

Mahomes finds Kelce on the right side for a short gain of a yard. 

3rd and 7 from the BAL 48. 

Pacheco gets the handoff from the KC 49 and picks up a couple yards on the run to the right side. 

2nd and 8 from the BAL 49.

TURNOVER ON DOWNS!

The offense stays on the fiels and the short pass to Flowers on the right side was sniffed out and he is dragged down short of the marker by McDuffie!

1st and 10 KC right around midfield! 

Jackson tucks it and runs again, but this time he is pushed out of bounds after a gain of 7. 

4th and 3 from the 50. 

Jackson steps up in the pocket and he picks up 5 yards on the run through the middle. 

3rd and 10 from the BAL 43. 

Flowers with the catch in the flat and he hips and hops his way for a 3 yard gain, but a pass interference on the offense will back the Ravens up after the penalty. 

2nd and 15 from the BAL 38. 

Jackson finds LIkely off the play action and he picks up 5 yards. 

2nd and 5 from the BAL 48. 

Henry bounces off the pile at the line of scrimmage and he takes it up the middle for a gain of 6 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 43. 

BAL take over from the 30 and Jackson finds Flowers in the flat for a gain of 7. 

2nd and 3 from the BAL 37. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

Butker drills the 32 yard field goal right down the middle and the Chiefs take the lead for the first time. 

KC are up 10-7 with 13:37 in first half. 

Mahomes had Smith-Schuster right at the goal line but he had the ball jarred out of his hands by Williams and the FG unit comes on. 

4th and 9 from the BAL 13. 

Mahomes over the middle for Gray, the other TE in KC, and he gets 11 yards to make it 3rd and manageable. 

3rd and 9 from the KC 13. 

Mahomes saw Pacheco on the wheel route out of the backfield but that was just a bit too far out infront of his RB. 

2nd and 20 from the BAL 24. 

Pacheco out of the wildcat and he takes it to the left side for a short gain but a holding call on KC will back them up 10 yards. 

1st and 20 from the BAl 24. 

FUMBLE!!!

Jones with a rush up the middle and stripped Jackson in the backfield and Anudike-Uzomah falls on it at the 14!!!

1st and 10 Chiefs in the red zone. 

Araiza's punt sails into the endzone for a touchback. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 20. 

WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER FROM KANSAS CITY!!

The pocket collapses on Mahomes and he is wrapped up for a loss of 10 as the first quarter comes to an end. 

4th and 18 coming up. 

Mahomes to the flat for Rice but he is wrapped up after a short gain of 1. 

3rd and 8 from the BAL 46. 

Pacheco up the middle but he is stuck at the line for a gain of a yard. 

2nd and 9 from the BAL 47. 

Slant pattern from Rice and he breaks it for a 19 yard catch and run over the middle. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 48. 

KC takes over from the 10 yards line and the cameras found Taylor Swift during the break. 

Dump off to Pacheco and he breaks it for a big gain of 23 to start the drive. 

1st and 10 fro the KC 33. 

Dump off to Hlll on the right side but he is stuffed after a gain of 1 and the Ravens will punt. What a play in the open field by Reid. 

4th and 5 from the 50. 

Jackson to the right side for Flowers who drags it in for a short gain of 3. 

3rd and 6 from the BAL 48. 

Henry gets the handoff and he is stopped at the line of scrimmage. 

2nd and 10 from the BAL 45.

The Ravens will take it from the 30 after another touchback and Jackson finds Likely on the lob pass over the middle for a gain of 15 yards to start the drive. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 45. 

What a first touch of your NFL career!!! Xavier Worthy takes it 21 yards for a TD!

Slant pattern over the middle from Rice and he takes it in stride for a big gain and a late flag for a horse collar penalty. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 21. 

Pacheco up the middle and he picks up 4 yards. 

3rd and 6 from the KC 48. 

Mahomes saw the pocket collapse on his and gets dropped right at the line fo scrimmage. 

2nd and 10 from the KC 44. 

KC take over from their 33 yard line after a nice run back from Steele and Mahomes finds Rice over the middle for a gain of 11 and a first down on the first Chiefs play of the season. 

1st and 10 from the KC 44. 

Henry is going to get his fair share of TD carries for this Baltimore offense. 

Henry with a couple runs to set up a 3rd and 1, and Jackson moves the chains with a QB keeper for a gain of 11 yards. 

1st and 10 from the KC 13. 

Flowers makes the catch over the middle and moves the chains for a 19 yard gain. 

1st and 10 from the KC 33. 

Jackson going deep for Flowers and he was held up and interfered with, but another illegal formation is going to cancel out the pass interference call. 

3rd and 9 from the BAL 48. 

Jackson's pass to the flat was batted at the line and falls incomplete. 

3rd and 9 from the BAL 48. 

Henry up the middle and he is stuffed after a gain of one. 

2nd and 9 from the BAL 48. 

Short pass to Hill out of the backfield and he races to the marker for the first down to stretch the drive. 

1st and 10 from the BAL 47. 

Jackson finds Hill on the dump off to the right side and he gets the penalty yardage back. 

3rd and 8 from the BAL 32. 

Jackson to Flowers with a short pass for a couple yards on the right side but an illegal formation will back the Ravens up. 

2nd and 13 from the BAL 27. 

Henry gets the handoff on the first play of the season and he takes it for a couple yards on the left side. 

2nd and 8 from the BAL 32. 

The new dynamic kickoff gets us underway and it's the Chiefs kicking off to the Ravens and here we go from Arrowhead. 

Touchback and the Ravens will get the ball from the 30. 

THE 2024 NFL SEASON IS UNDERWAY FROM KANSAS CITY!!!

MVP odds

It should come as no surprise that Patrick Mahomes comes into the year as the favorite to win the MVP award. What might comes as a surprise is Lamar Jackson outside of the top five in favorite for MVP. A guy who has won it twice, and coming off an MVP season, with a few more weapons around him on the offensive side of the ball has dropped to +1600, behind Jordan Love (+1400), Jalen Hurts (+1000) and Josh Allen (+850). Here is the complete list of early season MVP candidates courtesy of our friends at MGM Grand. 

Patrick Mahomes +500

Josh Allen +850

Joe Burrow +900

Jalen Hurts +1000

C.J. Stroud +1100

Jordan Love +1400

Aaron Rodgers +1500

Lamar Jackson +1600

Dak Prescott +1800

Brock Purdy +1800

Super Bowl odds

It may never have been done in the history of the league, but that doesn’t stop the odds makers from siding with the Chiefs to complete their three-peat this season. They come into Week 1 the favorites to win it all this season at +500 on the betting boards. The NFC Champion 49ers are second favorite at +600 while the Ravens are 3rd at +1000 according to our friends at MGM Grand. Here are the next seven favorites to round out the top ten. Notice that Aaron Rodgers’ Jets aren’t on the list, sitting in 11th at +2000

Eagles +1200

Lions +1200

Bengals +1300

Bills +1600

Texans +1600

Packers +1600

Cowboys +2000

Chiefs chasing history

The Chiefs know what’s on the line this season. No team in the history of the league has done it, but Kansas City has a chance to three-peat. Not the Steelers of the 70s, nor the Niners of the 80s, or the Cowboys of the 90s, not even the Patriots of the 2000s were able to three-peat. But you wouldn’t bet against Mahomes and the Chiefs considering their recent history. As soon as the confetti started to fall in Allegiant Stadium, Mahomes was already focused on bringing KC the three-peat. In the press conferences afterwards, he made sure to let everyone know that he would enjoy the win for a bit, but the mission is to be right back to where they were in mid February doing something that no team has ever done before. 

Last year's AFC Championship

Sure, you can’t chalk up a loss to just one play, but the Zay Flowers fumble on the one yard line is as close to a game losing play as you can have in the NFL. It’s a shame because Flowers was the only one really doing anything down the field for Lamar Jackson. He had 5 receptions for 115 yards and a first quarter TD, but he will be remembered for the fumble at the one with a chance to cut the lead to 17-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter. Jackson would get picked off on the next possession and that did the Ravens in as critics continued with the narrative of Jackson not being able to win the big one. He is certain to hear much of the same this season, but this might be the best team he has had around him.  

Swifties back in action

Get ready for the madness to begin. As if there wasn’t enough excitement with the NFL season starting back up, this season we have a whole new demographic chomping at the bits for kickoff Thursday to get underway. The Swifties may not have been to enthused when Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off the Super Bowl against the Detroit Lions last year, but this year there will certainly be a bump in ratings thanks to those looking to get a glimpse of Taylor Swift in the Kelce box at Arrowhead. While she didn’t go to every game last year, she was at a healthy amount of them and was there standing aside her man as the Chiefs celebrated their third Super Bowl in five years. Swift may be going from mega fan to play caller and designer after Patrick Mahomes revealed to Chris Simms that she has been drawing up plays, and knowing Andy Reid you wouldn’t put it past him to incorporate some of those plays. 

The King's new castle 

One of the most dominant, more feared, most unstoppable running backs is in Baltimore chasing a title he never won with the only team he ever knew. Derrick Henry spent nine seasons with the Tennessee Titans, and took them to the AFC Championship back in 2020, but that was the closest he ever got to Super Bowl Sunday. Coming into his ninth season he still has plenty in the tank, and the Ravens will be hoping to use that championship desire to their advantage with him and Lamar Jackson in the same backfield. He ran for 2000 yards a few year ago, and is coming off a season in which he ran for 1,162 yards and 12 TDs on a team that didn’t have much for weapons outside of King Henry. That will not be the case with Baltimore.

Star watch: Ravens

Lamar Jackson only has one thing on his QB resume to check off, and that’s to win a Super Bowl. He has done just about everything else. Starting back in college when he won the Heisman Trophy with Louisville and just three years later he was named NFL MVP for the first time. It took him just two years to win the award for the league’s best player, and it looked like the Ravens were going to be contenders each and every year for a long long time. Unfortunately there were some contract disputes and some injuries that kept Jackson and the Ravens from reaching their ultimate goal as he would struggle to finish seasons, but once his contract got sorted, Jackson was back to his best and brought Baltimore to within just a game of the Super Bowl. 

Star watch: Chiefs 

We could highlight the revamped WR corp that Patrick Mahomes has at his disposal, or Travis Kelce, or Isaiah Pacheco who is one of the up and coming running backs in the game, or the Chris Jones and the defense, but this is the star watch portion of the preview, and who else are we going to highlight other than Patrick Mahomes? Mahomes has been nearly perfect in his six years as a starter in the league. A couple of league MVPs, three Lombardi Trophies and three Super Bowl MVPs have assured him of his place in history, but Mahomes isn’t content just being named in the GOAT conversation, he is looking to be the only one in the conversation. Whether you like it or not, he is creeping closer and closer to Tom Brady’s invincibility, and if does it against this year, it would be hard to not talk about the torch being passed from TB12 to the Chiefs No. 15. 

Last year Ravens

The Ravens looked like the best team in the league for most of the season. They finished the season with massive wins over the Rams, the Niners and the Dolphins to secure the top spot in the AFC and ensure that the Chiefs would have to go through M&T Bank Stadium in the playoffs. After a first round bye, Baltimore took on the up and coming Houston Texans and the MVP of the league put an end to the Offensive Rookie of the Year’s dream season as the Ravens smashed the Texans 34-10. The Chiefs were up next and Baltimore kept it close but a couple of key fumbles were enough for KC to edge the Ravens. 

Last year: Chiefs

The Chiefs won it all last year, but it wasn’t smooth sailing for much of the season. Patrick Mahomes had one of his worst statistical numbers of his career as he and his receivers struggled to build the chemistry and understanding we are used to seeing the KC QB with his pass catchers. The big improvement last year came on the defensive side of the ball. The Chiefs D had previously been their liability, but last year didn’t just keep the Chiefs in games, but showed they are able to win games. The Chiefs finished the regular season 11-6 and for the first time in this era, they had to go on the road and win games on their way to the Super Bowl. They went into Buffalo and Baltimore and came out with narrow wins to reach Super Bowl Sunday for the second straight year, and took on the San Francisco 49ers in the title game. KC kicked a late field goal to send the game to overtime and in the waning seconds of OT Mahomes hit Mecole Hardman for the game winning TD pass. 

We are live from Arrowhead

Hello everyone and welcome to Kansas City where the Chiefs will be on a season long pursuit of history as they look to make it three Lombardi Trophies in a row. Tonight they start the season taking on a team that is one of the most likely to knock them off their throne. Last year’s NFL MVP Lamar Jackson took his team all the way to the conference championship but they had their hearts broken by a little Mahomes magic and fantastic defensive performance. This year, everyone will be gunning for the Chiefs, the question is: can anyone stop this generation’s dynasty?

Ravens vs. Chiefs NFL Kickoff Thursday

Football is back baby! The Kansas City Chiefs begin this season after ending last season under a shower of confetti in Las Vegas as Patrick Mahomes led his side to a third Super Bowl in the last five years. The Chiefs bring in the new season for the second straight year, and tonight they take on the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship. AS English will be with you tonight and throughout the season as we bring you live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of the first game of the season from Arrowhead.