NFL

Chiefs 27, Ravens 20

It’s so, so great to have NFL games to write about again. Let’s get to it.

We had ourselves a thriller to kickoff the season. Kansas City entered this campaign as the best team in football, and there wasn’t much from last night that would change anyone’s mind about that.

Patrick Mahomes wasn’t perfect (20-for-28 with 291 yards, one touchdown and an interception), but excelled when it mattered. The Chiefs’ passer should look even better once Hollywood Brown returns and he has his full arsenal of weapons available. Travis Kelce is still a very good tight end, but Rashee Rice is going to emerge as Mahomes’ top weapon at some point — perhaps sooner rather than later. Rice tallied seven receptions for 103 yards in this win.

Kansas City’s defense, like in 2023, looked stout in this contest, limiting Lamar Jackson to mostly short completions and scrambles. This was a big first test for Steve Spanuolo’s unit, and it passed. Chris Jones had a strong night, posting three tackles and a sack.

The Ravens put together a valiant comeback effort, but a pedestrian first three quarters held Baltimore back. Lamar Jackson was the epitome of the team’s performance, having his share of ups and downs early on, and then turning it on late.

Jackson mostly fared well, totaling 273 passing yards and touchdown with another 122 yards on the ground, but there’s a caveat here. Does anyone believe Jackson can even make it to November if he carries the ball 16 times per game? After all, the Ravens’ signal-caller slimmed down over the season, making him even less capable of handling big hits.

Jackson’s rushing is far from the Raven’s biggest worry, however. A newly-minted offensive line struggled throughout the night, forcing Baltimore to focus far too much on the short passing game. That benefited Zay Flowers, who snagged six balls for just 37 yards.

Baltimore’s defense held up mostly fine versus Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, but it probably needed to secure another takeaway to flip the game. Roquan Smith led the unit with seven tackles and an interception.

It wouldn’t shock me if these two franchises met again in the AFC Championship, but the Ravens have a lot more work ahead of them than the Chiefs. It certainly doesn’t help matters that Baltimore plays in the vaunted AFC North, while Kansas City gets a cakewalk in the AFC West.

Chiefs sign TE Noah Gray to three-year, $18 million contract extension

The Chiefs just selected Jared Wiley in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, but this deal signifies that Gray is favored to be the successor to Travis Kelce. The 25-year-old needs to improve his all-around game to secure that starting job in the future, but he’s still a small part of Kansas City’s attack, as he recorded 28 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns last season. This contract is a bit too rich for my liking, though.

Grade: C-

NCAAB

2025 five-star SG Jasper Johnson commits to Kentucky

Mark Pope almost certainly won’t land as many five stars at Kentucky as John Calipari did. In fact, the new Kentucky coach probably doesn’t even want to — in today’s college basketball, older is better. That doesn’t mean Johnson isn’t a great get for Pope, though, as the former BYU coach needs to keep the talent pipeline filtering into Lexington. Johnson, the No. 10 prospect for 2025, will help with that.

MLB

Reds 1, Astros 0

In two starts since being promoted to the big leagues, top prospect Rhett Lowder has struggled with walks, but the overall results have been strong. In this game, Lowder pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, dropping his ERA to 0.87. If the 22-year-old keeps this pace, he’ll be a lock to open 2025 in Cincinnati’s rotation.

The Astros were surely hoping Jason Heyward would be a viable option in right field when they signed him following his release from the Dodgers. That hasn’t been the case yet, as he went 0-for-2 in this loss. The 35-year-old still plays a solid right field, but his bat has been inconsistent at best over the past few seasons. It remains to be seen if Houston will be able to count on Heyward in the postseason.

Twins 4, Rays 3

Griffin Jax, not Jhoan Duran, has been Minnesota’s best reliever this season. The right-hander was clutch in this win, holding the Rays scoreless over 1 1/3 innings. Jax’s ERA is now 1.89.

Mariners 6, Athletics 4

Cal Raleigh doesn’t kill it in the batting average department — he’s batting just .210 on the year — but he’s an underrated power bat. The catcher bombed homer No. 29 this season yesterday, giving him 85 over the past three seasons.

Giants 3, Diamondbacks 2

The Diamondbacks are starting to fade at the wrong time. It’s not time to panic in Arizona, but the Snakes need to get the back of their bullpen figured out soon. The mostly reliable Kevin Ginkel blew this game, surrendering a run in the bottom of the ninth.