The Ravens had another chance, and Lamar Jackson knew who to ask.
Jackson raced around the pocket, dodging defenders and giving a receiver plenty of time to get open. Isaiah Likely wasn’t there, but it didn’t matter. The quarterback threw a pass that only the tight end could reach.
He caught the ball, presumably, and saw the back judge staring at him in the end zone, but with white paint under his toes. The call was not a touchdown, it was game over.
“That’s my responsibility,” Likely said. “I have to put both feet in.”
“I thought it was a touchdown,” Jackson said. “I still think it was a touchdown.”
“I didn’t think there was enough evidence to overturn it,” middle linebacker Roquan Smith said. “That’s something the referee has to deal with.”
Likely’s performance was nearly enough to secure the Ravens a 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in their season opener. The tight end was a key player in the underdog performance, backing up the expectations he spread with an impressive summer that established him as perhaps Jackson’s most reliable target.
The 24-year-old tight end led the Ravens with nine catches for 111 yards and a 49-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that put the team within one point. He was a popular option on the final drive but briefly left the game after falling hard on an incomplete pass in the back of the end zone. He returned one play later to nearly tie the score.
“Last play of the game,” Likely said. “Do you want to be out?”
The tight end’s long touchdown run in the fourth quarter impressed onlookers as much as it impressed himself. Likely knew he had to take advantage of a key block by Zay Flowers, so he sprinted past defenders until he was alone between the end zone and a defender. Then, with a subtle step-back move in front of the goal line, Likely “wanted to see how good the brakes were.” Jackson compared the move to one the quarterback would make on defenders in high school, but Likely said he surpassed it.
Looks like Isaiah hit the Lamar Juke 🔥 pic.twitter.com/5uZpSDXJL9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 6, 2024
Prior to Thursday, he had likely only topped 100 yards once in his career and had never reached 111. His nine catches were also a career high.
Jackson ran more in the loss, showed off his slimmer frame and wasn’t afraid to lower his shoulder to gain yards, but when he did have time to scout the field behind an inexperienced offensive line, he often turned his laser-beam attention to the second tight end.
“He was just open,” the quarterback said.
Likely’s position mate, Mark Andrews, was mostly quiet on Thursday. The All-Pro had just two catches for 14 yards, his fewest since 2022 – seven fewer than Likely – and was never a focal point of the offensive line with Jackson.
Andrews wasn’t targeted near the goal line or in the end zone, and instead it was Likely who took those chances and proved more two-tight end combinations could be in the Ravens’ future.
“Isaiah played a great football game,” coach John Harbaugh said, “especially down the stretch.”
Likely had two catches for 16 yards in the Ravens’ postseason loss to Kansas City in January. He was ineffectual for a stuttering offense, but on Thursday he was the spark that galvanized it. Baltimore’s offense had other flaws that Jackson and Likely hid. Likely believes if they can fix those, the next result will be different.
“This is their worst game of the year,” Likely said. “If this is the best they can do, good luck in the postseason.”
First published: September 6, 2024, 1:22 AM
