Young receiver Xavier Worthy had a memorable night at the start of the 2024 NFL season, as the Kansas City Chiefs claimed a 27-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Worthy, in his debut with the team, showed all his potential by scoring two touchdowns and becoming one of the big surprises of the game. The rookie’s talent was evident from the start, as his speed was a determining factor.
Xavier Worthy, who ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.21 seconds at the Combine, became the player coming out of that event to rush for a touchdown in his first NFL game.
In his explosive debut, he racked up 47 receiving yards and added 21 more rushing yards, proving to be a constant threat to opposing defenses.
On the final play of the game, the Ravens were celebrating scoring a touchdown that would give them a chance to tie the score with the extra point or even go for the win, but upon review of the play, it was seen that the toe of Isaiah Likely, a tight end with a strong performance, stepped just out of bounds after catching Lamar Jackson’s 10-yard pass, so the score was disallowed.
Coach John Harbaugh had already ordered his offense to go for the two-point conversion that the Ravens would use to try to win and leave the defending NFL champions on the field.
Instead, the Chiefs prevailed and maintained their recent paternity over Baltimore, a team they defeated in the AFC Championship Game in January before going to the Super Bowl and winning against San Francisco.
Taylor Swift returns this season in support of Travis Kelce and the Chiefs
As was the case on that occasion in Las Vegas and at numerous previous games, Taylor Swift was on hand to support her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. The pop superstar arrived in a denim cropped outfit, while Kelce surprised everyone with a new look: longer, darker hair, without his usual beard and with a mustache.
Swift, who featured Kelce onstage at several of her concerts during a wildly successful world tour over the summer, was animated at times during the game as she watched from the suite sitting next to the player’s mother.
Patrick Mahomes threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Xorthy in the fourth quarter to put the Chiefs up 27-17. Just four minutes earlier, Likely had scored on a 49-yard reception for Baltimore.
Mahomes’ best play of the game was on defense
A Justin Tucker field goal with 4:54 left brought the Ravens within three points, and then the visiting defense stopped the Chiefs near midfield when Mahomes, in a crucial comeback, caught his own pass after the ball was batted by a defender. Had he not done so, Baltimore would have had the interception and started its final drive in the Ravens’s half.
The Ravens drove nearly 80 yards in less than two minutes on their final drive and had three downs in the final seconds, but none of Jackson’s three passes were complete. On the second of those, the 2023 MVP failed to complete a pass to wide receiver Zay Flowers, who was wide-open in the end zone.
Mahomes, last year’s Super Bowl MVP and widely considered the league’s best quarterback, finished 20 of 28 for 291 yards, 1 TD, and 1 interception. Jackson, meanwhile, completed 26 of 41 for 273 yards, 1 TD, and ran 16 times for 122 yards, improving his NFL record to 14 100-yard rushing games as a quarterback.
Mahomes also made history for the Chiefs, becoming the franchise’s leading rusher by outpacing Len Dawson during the first half of the game.
