It isn't just a game of inches. It can be a game of millimeters. We saw that in the NFL opener on Thursday, when the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs held on for a 27-20 home win over the Baltimore Ravens.
It came down to the last play and officials overturning Isaiah Likely's last-second touchdown grab, in which Likely's toe was (barely) on the out-of-bounds line.
While it seemed like the right call — but the Ravens weren't fans, anyway.
"I thought it was a touchdown," quarterback Lamar Jackson told reporters. "I still think it's a touchdown."
Interstingly, Ravens coach John Harbaugh signaled the team would go for the 2-point conversion, and the win, after the ref signaled that the play was a touchdown.
Isaiah Likely's final TD grab came with his toe on the line. (ESPN/Screengrab)
"The ref looked at me, I look at the ref, and when he signaled touchdown, I thought it was what it was," Likely said. "Then, obviously we were going to win the game."
Then the play was reviewed.
"The runner's toe hit out of bounds," referee Shawn Hochuli announced. "It's an incomplete pass. The game is over. Kansas City has won."
Baltimore fell to 1-5 vs. Kansas City in the Patrick Mahomes era.
"At this point, you just have to live with the call," Likely said. "You have to look on, obviously watch the film, see where we can get better to not put ourselves in the situation to leave it in the refs' hands to be able to call that."
Meanwhile, the Ravens hated the outcome, but the Chiefs not surprisingly seemed to agree with the call.
"The guys upstairs saw it, and so they knew he was out," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We were just waiting after that.''
