The Kansas City Chiefs’ exhilarating pursuit of a record three-peat in the Super Bowl has begun, as has the 105th season of the NFL.

The Chiefs unveiled their championship banner in front of a jubilant Arrowhead Stadium crowd that included Taylor Swift. The game was close until the very last play, with the Chiefs defeating the Baltimore Ravens 27-20.

Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs eclipsed Len Dawson in the team record for all-time passing yards, and rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy scored touchdowns both running and receiving. Worthy set a record for the NFL combine 40-yard dash at 4.21 seconds.

In a repeat of the AFC championship game from the previous season, which pitted quarterback Mahomes of the Super Bowl LVIII MVP against quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Ravens for the MVP award, the Chiefs controlled the first half, leading 13-10 at the half and 20-10 in the third.

However, the Ravens came alive early in the last quarter, as tight end Isaiah Likely caught a 49-yard ball from quarterback Jalen Jackson to trim the deficit to 20-17.

Mahomes, though, responded as he usually does, finding Worthy for a 35-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 27–17. During the first half, Worthy made his NFL debut by sprinting 21 yards to the end zone on an end-around play.

However, Mahomes may have had the biggest grab of the evening. The 28-year-old had a third-down pass deflected by Ravens linebacker Trenton Simpson with less than three minutes remaining in the game and Andy Reid’s side leading by seven points. However, the Chiefs quarterback was able to block off two defenders to catch the floating ball and prevent the turnover.

Having to punt, Kansas City gave Jackson and Baltimore one more chance to drive.

It was first and goal with no timeouts remaining. Jackson started throwing the ball and found wide receiver Rashod Bateman for a 38-yard gain. With five seconds remaining, it was third and goal due to incomplete throws to wide receiver Zay Flowers and Likely.

Jackson seemingly scored a touchdown on the game’s last play when he found Likely in the end zone with a pass. That would have provided the Ravens with an opportunity to win the game with a two-point conversion or tie it with an extra point.

However, the play was reviewed because there were still two minutes left in the game to score, and further viewings revealed Likely had a toe out of bounds.

The Chiefs narrowly avoided losing the first game after it was determined that the play was an incomplete throw.

“Obviously, it was nerve-wracking,” Mahomes told NBC. “It’s a game of inches, that’s what they say. That’s a great football team, and to come out here and get a win at Arrowhead, it’s a way to start off the season.”

HISTORY-MAKING MAHOMES!

Mahomes was finally able to fully enjoy his newfound status in Chiefs history. The type of play that NFL fans have witnessed from the Chiefs star quarterback so frequently during his career led to Mahomes’ franchise-record-breaking moment.

Halfway through the second quarter, the quarterback , under pressure, raced to locate free space and connected with tight end Travis Kelce, his reliable go-to target for years, for a 23-yard gain on a third-and-12.

Mahomes came into the game 84 yards short of breaking Dawson’s franchise record. He completed the evening with one interception while going 20 of 28 for 291 yards and a touchdown.

With 273 yards and a touchdown, Jackson completed 26 of 41 passes.

Post-game, Jackson found it difficult to accept the outcome following the game: “I thought it was a touchdown,” referring to the last play. “Still think it was a touchdown.”

Due to a rainstorm passing over Arrowhead Stadium, which caused event and game activities to be delayed, the season-opening was pushed back by 20 minutes to 7:40 p.m. local time in Kansas City. Players cleared the pitch as the rain started falling, and fans were instructed to get up from their seats and find shelter.

As the bad weather passed, a rainbow emerged on the horizon, seemingly signalling to jubilant NFL fans that the season would soon begin.

A próxima parada é BrA próxima parada é o Brasil – Next stop it is Brazil:

The NFL action continues tonight as the Green Bay Packers take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil, there is a new addition to the international series calendar as it is the NFL’s first-ever Sao Paulo game.