KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After the Baltimore Ravens lost by a toe on 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 that resulted in a heartbreaking 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener. An official initially ruled that Likely had gotten both feet inbounds in the back of the end zone, which would have put Baltimore in position to win on a 2-point conversion, but a replay review confirmed that the ball 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.”
Jackson and the Ravens fell 1-5 to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, but nearly pulled off one of their most thrilling comebacks. With five seconds left and at the Kansas City 10-yard line, Jackson stepped into the pocket and ran in a circle before throwing a pass to Likely in the back of the end zone as time expired.
He probably jumped to catch the ball and landed with Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton on his back. The referee raised both hands to signal the touchdown and he probably threw the ball in the air in celebration.
“The referee looked at me, I looked at the referee and when he called the touchdown, I thought that's what it was,” Likely said. “So obviously we were going to win the game.”
Had the touchdown been valid, Baltimore would have been down 27-26 and there would have been no time to end the game. The Ravens were about to line up for a two-point attempt to win the game before the referees reversed the call.
“The runner hit his toe 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 in bounds.
“The guys upstairs saw him and knew he was out,” Reid said. “We just hung around after that.”
Likely, who finished with a career-high nine receptions and 111 yards, appeared to injure his shoulder after falling in the corner of the end zone two plays earlier. Jackson then threw an incomplete pass into the end zone and Likely returned to the field, where he nearly scored the biggest touchdown of his three-year career.
Had the Ravens pulled off the upset, they would have ended the Chiefs' 23-game winning streak when leading by 10 points or more entering the fourth quarter.
“At this point, you just have to live with the decision,” Likely said. “You have to watch, obviously watch the film, see where we can improve so we don't put ourselves in the position of letting the refs make that decision.”
Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said he was surprised the touchdown was reversed.
“I didn't think it was enough evidence to overturn the ruling,” Smith said. “But I feel like it's something the referees will have to deal with when the time comes and that's out of my control.”
