Third-year receiver Isaiah Likely thought he sealed the Ravens’ win with a touchdown, but the ref overturned the call.
Isaiah Likely almost won the Baltimore Ravens their first game of the season against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. However, his toe got in the way.
Ravens Isaiah Likely went out of bounds after catching a touchdown against Chiefs (Image via Sky Sports/X)
In the final drive of the game, the Ravens needed a touchdown to equal the score. Quarterback Lamar Jackson began by finding Zay Flowers and Likely on back-to-back passes, gaining yardage and a couple of first downs.
The clock was churning, so Jackson had no other choice but to look for a deep pass. He threw a couple of incomplete passes, the first one on the corner route to Likely and the other one near the goal post, but it missed Flowers by some distance.
🚨REMINDER… LAMAR JACKSON MISSED ON BACK TO BACK PLAYS, WIDE OPEN RECEIVERS, which would have put the #Ravens in position to win the game
Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone & a wide open Zay Flowers.
LOSING BY AN INCH SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED☝️ pic.twitter.com/fyU0WDUTXL
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 6, 2024
Eventually, it was fourth down, and the 2x NFL MVP took another shot and threw a high ball to Likely, which the third-year receiver caught and landed just inside the red zone before going out of bounds.
ISAIAH LIKELY SO GOOD
📺: #Kickoff2024 on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wusReXzb9I— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024
The Ravens thought they equalized as head coach John Harbaugh shouted to go for the two and win the game. However, the referee had to make sure both feet of Isaiah Likely were inside the red zone. After extensive review, they declared a small part of Likely’s toe was out of bounds, so they disallowed the touchdown, and the Kansas City Chiefs won the game.
Lamar Jackson believes Isaiah Likely’s touchdown was legitimate
During the post-match press conference, reporters opened the Q&A session by asking Jackson about the disallowed Isaiah Likely touchdown. From the multiple Pro Bowler’s perspective, the TD should have stood.
I thought it was a touchdown. I thought it was a touchdown. Still think it’s a touchdown.Lamar Jackson said
Lamar Jackson on the ending: “I thought it was a touchdown. I still think it was a touchdown.”
pic.twitter.com/BZ54yjMuKZ https://t.co/JCCf6Lpx3Z
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 6, 2024
Fans and analysts would not be having this conversation if Jackson had found Zay Flowers inside the box completely open, but missed him. They still had ample time afterward to score two points to win the game. However, Jackson disagreed. He claimed the pass wasn’t even intended for Flowers.
I see Chris Jones was on Justice Hill. I was just trying to hit Justice Hill and trying to get out of the pocket, and I see [Rashod] Batemen flying acorss, which made me wanna stop. As I am throwing the ball, I see Zay Flowers flying across, and.... I wasn't intending for that.Lamar Jackson said
Lamar Jackson explains the missed pass to Zay Flowers in the end zone before the Isaiah Likely play. Shares that the pass was not intended for Flowers.#RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/5wwe5pmtV9
— Carita Parks (@CaritaCParks) September 6, 2024
Eventually, Patrick Mahomes got the better of Jackson for the fifth time in their NFL career in 6 games. Jackson ended the game with 21/47 for 273 yards, 1 touchdown, and 16 carries for 122 rushing yards (7.5 yards per carry). Derrick Henry, in his first Ravens game, rushed 13 times for 46 yards and scored 1 touchdown. Isaiah Likely caught 9 passes for 111 yards (12.3 YAC) and 1 touchdown.
Patrick Mahomes opened his account for 2024 with 20/28 for 291 passes, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception (he almost had 2). Running back Isiah Pacheco recorded 15 carries for 45 yards and 1 touchdown, while rookie Xavier Worthy scored 1 rushing and 1 receiving touchdown. Rashee Rice was the best receiver on the night for the Chiefs, with 7 receptions for 103 yards.
