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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterSep 6, 2024, 02:31 AM ET
- Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After the Baltimore Ravens lost by a toe Thursday night, quarterback Lamar Jackson could only shake his head.
Jackson said he doesn’t believe the officials should have overturned Isaiah Likely‘s last-second touchdown, which resulted in a painful 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener. One official initially ruled Likely got both feet inbounds in the back of the end zone, which would have put Baltimore in position to win with a 2-point conversion, but a replay review confirmed the front of Likely’s right foot touched the white out-of-bounds line.
“I thought it was a touchdown,” Jackson said. “I still think it’s a touchdown.”
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Jackson and the Ravens fell to 1-5 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but they nearly pulled off one of their most thrilling comebacks. With five seconds left and at the Kansas City 10-yard line, Jackson stepped up into the pocket and ran in a circle before launching a pass to Likely in the back of the end zone as time expired.
Likely leaped to catch the ball and came down with Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton draped on his back. The official put both hands in the air to signal touchdown, and Likely tossed the ball in the air in celebration.
“The ref looked at me, I look at the ref, and when he signaled touchdown, I thought it was what it was,” Likely said. “Then, obviously we were going to win the game.”
If the touchdown had counted, Baltimore would’ve been down 27-26 with no time left. The Ravens were about to line up to go for two points and attempt to win the game before the officials changed the ruling.
“The runner’s toe hit out of bounds,” referee Shawn Hochuli announced. “It’s an incomplete pass. The game is over. Kansas City has won.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he didn’t have a good view of whether Likely was inbounds.
“The guys upstairs saw it, and so they knew he was out,” Reid said. “We were just waiting after that.”
Likely, who finished with career highs of nine catches and 111 yards, appeared to injure his shoulder after landing in the corner of the end zone two plays earlier. Jackson then threw an incompletion to the end zone, and Likely returned to the field, almost scoring the biggest touchdown of his three-year career.
If the Ravens had pulled off the upset, it would’ve ended the Chiefs’ streak of 23 consecutive wins when leading by 10 points or more entering the fourth quarter.
“At this point, you just have to live with the call,” Likely said. “You have to look on, obviously watch the film, see where we can get better to not put ourselves in the situation to leave it in the refs’ hands to be able to call that.”
Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said he was surprised the touchdown was reversed.
“I didn’t think it was enough evidence to overturn it,” Smith said. “But I feel like that’ll be something that the refs will have to deal with whenever that time comes and that’s out of my control.”
