US sports compact: NFL opening victory for the Chiefs – Taylor Swift back in the game

First a thunderstorm delayed the kickoff, then the Kansas City Chiefs made the first statement in the new NFL season. The Super Bowl champions, led by football star Patrick Mahomes, won the opening game 27:20 against the Baltimore Ravens despite great effort and took their first step towards a “three-peat”. The Chiefs can be the first team to win the title in the US professional league three times in a row.

Due to a thunderstorm in Missouri, the start of the game was delayed by 20 minutes, and in a rematch of the previous play-off semi-final, the two teams then fought an exciting duel. The Chiefs were leading 27-20 when Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson found Isaiah Likely in the end zone on the last drive as the clock ran out. The tight end caught the ball, but his toe was on the line. No touchdown, the game was over.

“It was nerve-racking,” Mahomes said of the video review of the final scene. “It’s a game of inches. That’s what they say.” His team still has to “work on a lot of things, but this is a great start.”

Mahomes threw a touchdown pass and completed 20 of 28 throws for 291 yards. Jackson completed 26 of 41 for 273 yards. He also threw a touchdown pass. Man of the evening was wide receiver Xavier Worthy with two touchdowns for Kansas City.

The Chiefs had eliminated Baltimore 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game in late January en route to their third title.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift attended the NFL opening game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. The 34-year-old appeared at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Thursday to cheer on her partner Travis Kelce. Kelce plays for the Chiefs and wants to win the third Super Bowl in a row with the team this season. No team in the Super Bowl era has ever achieved that.

Swift started watching Chiefs games in the stadium last season and, after a concert in Tokyo, made a beeline for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. With Swift in the crowd, the Chiefs had a record of ten wins and three losses last season.

During the offseason, Kelce was often in the stands at his girlfriend’s concerts. In London, he even performed on stage with her.

Rumors that surfaced on game day that Kelce and Swift would split up in September and that a contract was already in place were denied on Thursday by Full Scope, the company that handles Kelce’s PR affairs. The documents that were temporarily shared online were a fake and the matter was being pursued legally.