Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes Display Polar Opposite Reactions to Touchdown Call

Quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) of the Baltimore Ravens runs against Jaylen Watson (35) of the Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sept. 5, 2024. David Eulitt/Getty Images

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson tried to use his arm to take down his most difficult opponent, but his efforts fell short by a toe.

The referees waived off Jackson’s potential game-tying touchdown pass as time expired in a 27-20 defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely grabbed the ball in the back of the end zone, and head coach John Harbaugh signaled for a potential game-winning two-point conversion against the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

“I thought it was a touchdown. I still think it was a touchdown,” Jackson told reporters after the game.

The referees’ call ended an 11-play, 77-yard drive engineered by Jackson, who moved the ball primarily with his arm on the drive. His 38-yard completion to wide receiver Rashod Bateman got things set up at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who could only watch from the sideline, laughed after the call against Likely. The three-time Super Bowl champion also added some advice for the third-year tight end.

“Wear white cleats next time,” Mahomes told reporters afterward. “That’s my advice for him.”

Mahomes did his part to ensure the Chiefs wouldn’t lose back-to-back season openers at home. He threw for 291 yards and a touchdown versus one interception on 20-28 passing.

Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith grabbed the interception on his back, which led to a Justin Tucker field goal to end the first half. Smith also avoided a potential penalty with Mahomes in the fourth quarter, but the linebacker made an issue over a shove from Chiefs tight end Peyton Hendershot.

“He flopped. That’s why the referees didn’t call it,” Smith told reporters regarding the Mahomes incident. “That was a great no-call by the ref, but whoever No. 88 is, he better watch himself. He did a little slick push… I’ll see him when I see him.”

The Chiefs and Ravens only meet once in the regular season but could meet again in the playoffs as the two teams did last winter in the AFC Championship Game. Jackson and company couldn’t solve the Chiefs in a 17-10 defeat.

He has a 1-4 regular season record against the Chiefs and 0-1 in the playoffs. That said, Jackson loathed the term “kryptonite” when it comes to the Chiefs.

“They’re not our kryptonite,” Jackson said.

Mahomes, meanwhile, arguably has been the Superman of the NFL amid championships, two MVPs, three All-Pro honors, and six Pro Bowl selections. He could lead the Chiefs to an unprecedented third-straight Super Bowl win this season—an achievement seven-time champion Tom Brady never achieved. Brady fell short after back-to-back Super Bowl wins with the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004, and he didn’t go back-to-back any other time in his storied career.

“Getting a three-peat in the Super Bowl era has never been done before, and so to be able to do that as well as all the other stuff that we’ve done in the past few seasons, even the ones where we haven’t even won the Super Bowl, it‘d be iconic and it’d be something that would solidify us as one of the best teams of all time,” Mahomes told Complex in a 2024 interview. “And that’s what you want when you play a game like football.”

Likely, who had a big night with nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown, believes the Ravens can unseat the Chiefs and deny history. He hinted as much after the game.

“This is probably the worst game we gonna play all year,” Likely told reporters post-match. “So if this their best that they got, I mean, good luck in the postseason.”