The Kansas City Chiefs made sure that they would not disappoint to begin the 2024 NFL season with a bang by beating their conference rivals the Baltimore Ravens, putting up a huge performance to begin the campaign with a 27-20 victory. The Chiefs nearly squandered a big lead in the fourth when the Ravens attempted a comeback and held on to the final play to win the game.

This showdown between the Chiefs and the Ravens was one of the most highly anticipated games to open up the season. In a rematch of the previous season’s AFC title game, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs proved that they have what it takes to set the tone and begin the campaign with a massive victory against one of their biggest rivals.

The Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat – a huge feat never done in the NFL – is off to a hot start, and it cannot be denied that Kansas City, which is the ninth team to ever win back-to-back Super Bowls, may just be on the pace to come up with a huge rally to the top with this promising victory against the Ravens – which is also one of the biggest teams who may have a chance to win a Super Bowl this year.

Fending off a Comeback

The Chiefs were clearly on the promising run right from the start. Derrick Henry scored his first touchdown to open up the game at 8:14, but was quickly answered by a 21-yard dash from Xavier Worthy to tie the game at 7-7 by the end of the first quarter. Harrison Butker would go on to complete two consecutive field goals to extend Kansas City’s lead to 13-7 before Justin Tucker scored a field goal of his own to close the gap at 13-10.

A touchdown from Isiah Pacheco and an extra from Butker would go on to give the Chiefs a safety cushion in at 20-10 by the end of the third quarter. However, the Ravens would spring back to life to open up the final frame and close in at 20-17, but the Chiefs had one more trick up their sleeve – the long lob punch from Mahomes and the rookie standout, Xavier Worthy.

Worthy would go on to rush as soon as Mahomes got the ball, and the star QB would later make a daring pass at 35 yards. The rookie capped off the goal with a massive touchdown to extend the lead to 27-17, effectively putting the game away even with Justin Tucker adding a field goal to cut it to 27-20.

Defensive Pride on the Spotlight

It cannot be denied that the Chiefs were immediately impressive on the offensive end with fans at the Arrowhead Stadium roaring out loud in every impressive possession. However, it cannot be denied that the defensive backs of the defending champions were clearly the key to the victory against the Ravens.

Jaylen Watson worked well on the opposite side of Trent McDuffie and Joshua Williams. The trio combo were clearly effective in forcing Lamar Jackson to lose possession and even went 26/41 of his attempts in the game. The promising performances from their defending squad proved to be crucial in forcing the key victory in their favor. It cannot be denied that this win has already tilted the odds on their side this season.