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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Following a narrow defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was left shaking his head.
Jackson voiced his frustration over the officials overturning Isaiah Likely's last-second touchdown, which ultimately led to a heartbreaking 27-20 loss for the Ravens in their season opener. Initially, an official had ruled that Likely’s catch was a touchdown with both feet inbounds, giving Baltimore a chance to win with a potential 2-point conversion. However, after a replay review, it was determined that the front of Likely’s right foot had 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 to 1-5 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, despite nearly staging one of their most exhilarating comebacks. With just five seconds remaining and the Ravens on the Kansas City 10-yard line, Jackson maneuvered in the pocket before launching a pass to Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone as time expired.
Likely leaped to make the catch, with Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton draped over him. Initially, the official signaled a touchdown, prompting Likely to celebrate by tossing the ball in the air.
"The ref looked at me, and I looked back at the ref. When he signaled touchdown, I thought that was it," Likely said. "I thought we were going to win the game."
Had the touchdown stood, the Ravens would have been down 27-26 with no time left, poised to go for a 2-point conversion to potentially secure the win. However, the officials overturned the call.
"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 admitted he didn’t have a clear view of whether Likely was inbounds but relied on the replay review to make the call. "The guys upstairs saw it, and they knew he was out," Reid said. "We were just waiting after that."
Likely, who had career highs with nine catches and 111 yards, appeared to injure his shoulder two plays earlier while landing in the corner of the end zone. Despite the injury, he returned to the field and almost secured what would have been the most significant touchdown of his three-year career.
Had the Ravens managed to pull off the upset, it would have ended the Chiefs' impressive streak of 23 consecutive wins when leading by 10 or more points entering the fourth quarter.
"At this point, you just have to accept the call," Likely said. "We need to review the film, see where we can improve, and avoid putting ourselves in a position where the outcome is decided by the refs."
Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith expressed surprise at the reversal.
"I didn’t think there was enough evidence to overturn it," Smith said. "But that's something the refs have to handle, and it’s beyond my control."