Storylines, Quotes From Chiefs Postgame Press Conferences

In 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs failed to win their season-opening contest after capturing a Super Bowl title. They righted that wrong following the unveiling of their Super Bowl 58 banner, defeating the Baltimore Ravens 27-20 in the first NFL game of the year on Thursday night.

It wasn’t a perfect showing. When 60 minutes had come and gone, Kansas City had recorded 99 fewer yards and seven fewer minutes of possession time than Baltimore. When you have Patrick Mahomes under center, though, your margin for error is a bit wider than that of every other franchise.

Both the superstar quarterback and head coach Andy Reid know there will need to be adjustments made going forward, but they can savor being 1-0 for the next couple of days before getting back to work for Week 2. Here are some of the most important takeaways from what the duo told reporters following the win.

Deferring Pays Off In Multiple Ways

The Chiefs got to see how offensive linemen were handled

The first decision any team makes during a game, if they’re afforded the opportunity, is to receive or defer the opening kickoff. Choosing the latter is the conventional decision, and was what Reid elected to do following his win of the coin toss. Not only did that move give Kansas City the ability to get the ball at the start of the second half, but it also allowed them to see how officials would treat the alignments of offensive linemen.

This offseason, the league made it be known that previously disregarded deep sets — by tackles in particular — were going to be stringently enforced in the coming season. The days of linemen not being penalized for parking themselves off the line of scrimmage, for all intents and purposes, were supposedly over.

On the opening drive of Thursday’s contest, officials showed they meant business. The Ravens were called for an illegal formation due to their tackles not being on the line of scrimmage three times in their first seven snaps, which forced head coach John Harbaugh to tell his trench workers to fix the issue.

Baltimore ended up being flagged for that particular infraction five times. Kansas City, after seeing the refs’ strict nature, didn’t line up illegally once. Reid attributed the team’s success in that department to his defensive unit being on the field to start the game.

Following the 2023 season opener, the league’s officiating crew drew harsh criticism for allowing Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor to set up shop off the line of scrimmage (and possibly get early starts) on a regular basis. Had Kansas City’s offense been the first to possess the ball, it’s likely he — or another Chiefs lineman — would have taken the mantle as sacrificial lambs. Instead, they got to be proactive in their approach, while the Ravens had to react live to prevent further setbacks.

Any coach debating flipping the script and taking the ball to begin their game early in the season may be better served to save the tactic for later in the year. Baltimore was able to turn those penalties into brief setbacks and score a touchdown on their opening drive, but they’re projected to be one of the league’s better teams. Lesser rosters don’t shape up to overcoming those obstacles at a quality clip.

Game-Winning TD Was Too Easy

Mahomes knew where he was going pre-snap

Kansas City’s final scoring play of the night was Mahomes’ 35-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy . The former Texas Longhorn shined in his NFL debut, recording 68 yards and two end zone trips on three total touches. And on this particular play, he was the benefactor of a busted coverage in Baltimore’s secondary.

According to Mahomes, the way Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was aligned pre-snap told him everything he needed to know about connecting with Worthy on the deep strike.

Mahomes harped on the importance of taking advantage of those types of mistakes, adding he was likely going to throw the ball in Worthy’s direction if Baltimore had been in man coverage instead. That admission indicates his level of trust in the first-round pick is higher than any he built with Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney or any other mid-level receivers relied upon since the departure of Tyreek Hill .

Kansas City didn’t get the chance to push the ball downfield very often last season, and didn’t have many true deep shots available in Week 1. But Mahomes, armed with a real long-ball threat who compliments Rashee Rice and Travis Kelce , capitalized when the opportunity arose. If that touchdown pass was a preview of what’s to come from his offense in 2024, the rest of the league’s aspirations of becoming champions may be the errands of fools.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.