The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs opened the 2024 NFL season with an exhilarating 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.

The Chiefs' first step toward an unprecedented three-peat came down to a toe.

On the game's final play, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw a 10-yard pass to Isaiah Likely in the back of the end zone that was initially ruled a touchdown to make the score 27-26 and bring the Ravens within a point.

The touchdown was reviewed, and it was determined Likely's toe was out of bounds, making it an incomplete pass and ending the game.

The Ravens were THIS CLOSE to scoring the game-tying touchdown #Kickoff2024 pic.twitter.com/08KjTVFHQZ

— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2024

The Chiefs took a 27-17 lead on Patrick Mahomes' 35-yard touchdown pass to rookie Xavier Worthy in the early minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Ravens then pulled within seven points on Justin Tucker's 32-yard field goal with 4:54 to go and Baltimore later got the ball back at its own 13-yard line with 1:50 remaining.

Jackson drove the Ravens down to the Kansas City 10-yard line in the closing seconds, but after missing open receivers on first and second down, it appeared the reigning league MVP connected with Likely to make it a one-point game. Replays then clearly showed Likely's toe crossing the endline.

Jackson finished with 273 passing yards and another 122 yards rushing. He had a 49-yard TD pass to Likely, who finished with 111 receiving yards.

Derrick Henry rushed for 46 yards in his Baltimore debut and scored the first touchdown of the season on the Ravens' first drive.

Worthy had Kansas City's first TD, scoring on a 21-yard run in the first quarter, and Isiah Pacheco later scored on a one-yard TD run.

Mahomes finished with 291 yards passing, while Rashee Rice led the Chiefs with seven receptions for 103 yards, with Travis Kelce adding three catches for 34 yards.