Jackson rallies Ravens, but fall to Chiefs 27-20 after last-second TD denied

Lamar Jackson insisted the Baltimore Ravens were not seeking revenge after the Kansas City Chiefs beat them in the AFC title game seven months ago, denying him the opportunity to play for his first Super Bowl championship.

It sure looked as if he was trying to get some anyway Thursday night.

Jackson threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and ran for 122 yards, gamely rallying Baltimore from a late 10-point deficit against the two-time and defending NFL champions. And it looked for a moment as if Jackson had at least forced overtime when he hit Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone with no time left in raucous Arrowhead Stadium to complete the comeback.

The final play immediately went to a video review, though, and the evidence was clear: The tight end’s toe landed on the endline, putting him out of bounds. The pass was incomplete. The game was over. And the disappointment quickly set in.

It was a 27-20 loss, the fifth for Jackson in six tries against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

For most of the NFL’s opener Thursday, Jackson was having another night against them to forget. His rebuilt offensive line was called for illegal formation three times in the first seven plays.

He finally found his groove over the final two series, a 12-play, 56-yard drive to set up Justin Tucker’s field goal, closing the Ravens within a touchdown with 4:54 left in the game. And when the league’s No. 1 scoring defense last season forced a quick punt, Jackson had one more opportunity.

He kept going to Likely, who had 111 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Jackson used his feet when he needed to, including a scramble on third-and-2 that gave the Ravens a fresh set of downs. Three plays later, he spied Rashod Bateman streaking down the Kansas City sideline for a 38-yard completion that put them at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line with 19 seconds left.

Jackson’s first shot to the end zone was a throw-away with nobody open, but Jackson appeared to miss Zay Flowers open in the back of it on the next play. With one last shot with four seconds to go, Jackson found himself under pressure, yet found enough space to keep the play alive and spot Likely coming open in the back of the end zone.

The throw was a bit high, but Likely thought he had made the catch — as did Jackson, who turned to see Harbaugh signaling for the Baltimore offense to remain on the field for a 2-point conversion that could have won the game.

The play had gone to video review, though, and the Ravens never got that opportunity.



(AP Photo Ed Zurga)