Lightning, millimeters, Taylor Swift: NFL raises eyebrows after toenail drama and record

The NFL is back – and a toenail causes a lot of drama at the start. Lightning, thunder and heavy rain delay the start, then the Kansas City Chiefs, led by superstar Patrick Mahomes, show against the Baltimore Ravens that they have a new weapon in their ranks. Taylor Swift also takes part.

The NFL is back – albeit with a delay. Lightning, thunder and heavy rain postpone the start. Then the Kansas City Chiefs, led by superstar Patrick Mahomes, show against the Baltimore Ravens that they can be reckoned with this year's Super Bowl champions and that they have a new weapon in their ranks in the form of rookie Xavier Worthy. Of course, Taylor Swift cannot be left out either, and in the end a millimeter decision causes drama.

What are the NFL prospects:

Open a can of Dr. Pepper or a light beer and order a bucket full of chicken wings or the vegan cauliflower version, because: “The NFL is back, baby.” The NFL is back. The egg is flying again.

The new season begins and superstar Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs begin their quest for the NFL three-peat, the third championship in a row, unprecedented in league history. The opening opponent is the Baltimore Ravens – the team that stopped the Chiefs in last season's AFC Championship Game and thus one step short of the Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson and Co. will be out for revenge.

Both teams are bringing new offensive weapons. The Chiefs in particular are even more talented than they were a year ago and are considered by the bookmakers to be the top favorite for the title. Thanks to Taylor Swift, partner of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the team is once again attracting attention from people who are not usually particularly interested in football. The 14-time Grammy winner is taking a short break from her Eras Tour, which Kelce also took part in in London, and is celebrating the opening game in the sold-out Arrowhead Stadium with 76,416 loud fans. Kansas City can celebrate a 27-20 opening victory – thanks to an incredible millimeter decision at the very last second.

What happened:

The game begins with two statements. First, it is Derrick “King” Henry, the Ravens' new running back, who is a little older at 30 years old, but can still terrify NFL defenses with his stature, explosiveness and sheer strength. After a fantastic first drive with eleven plays and 70 yards – quarterback Jackson runs for more than half of that – it is a short run by the veteran forward through the middle that leads to the first touchdown of the season. That is exactly why Henry was brought in.

But the Chiefs responded promptly – and showed that they too had strengthened themselves. For example, in the wide receiver position, where they revealed unexpected weaknesses last season. With a trick play, Xavier Worthy, only 21 years old, raced to equalize with his first action in his first NFL game.

In the second quarter, the defense took over. Kansas' defensive tackle Chris Jones, who was voted the best defender in the league at the end of the season, forced a turnover from Jackson, which led to a field goal for the home team. A little later, it was time for the first Mahomes magic of the season. The Chiefs quarterback was pushed back by the defense, but with dancing steps he freed himself and found his congenial partner Kelce with a rocket throw over 23 yards. Another field goal followed, making it 13:7. But because Mahomes threw an interception under pressure in the middle of the field, the Ravens were able to reduce the deficit to three points three seconds before halftime.

The second half begins with two big plays from Mahomes. First, he finds Rashee Rice with a precisely timed pass over the hands of the defender, who makes a lot of yards with the ball in his arms, then Justin Watson, and the Chiefs are already 18 yards from the Ravens' end zone. After running back Isiah Pacheco half runs for a touchdown and is half pressed, Kansas City leads by ten points. Pacheco had left the game just a few plays earlier to throw up on the sideline.

At the beginning of the last quarter, the Ravens respond with a terrific play over 49 yards: Jackson has to improvise under pressure, dances around a few opponents and finds Isaiah Likely with a long pass. The tight end leaves several defenders behind and runs for a touchdown. 17:20, everything is open again.

But the Chiefs immediately showed why they are the champions. They restored their lead with ice-cold precision. With his first touchdown pass of the season, the completely alone Mahomes set up Worthy and the rookie scored for the second time in his dream debut. Baltimore reduced the deficit to 20:27 with a field goal. But Mahomes, who just managed to prevent a turnover by catching a blocked pass himself, found no answer this time.

And so Jackson gets the ball back with two minutes left on the clock. He only needs a touchdown and an extra point to tie the game and leads his team across the entire field and throws a magnificent pass over 38 yards to just before the end zone with seconds left. With four seconds left on the clock, the quarterback gets one last attempt – and actually throws the touchdown. Head coach John Harbaugh has already signaled that he wants to play a two-point conversion instead of the extra point, so two points to win instead of a tie.

But guess what: Likely's right toe is on the white line in the back of the end zone when he catches it. This area is considered out. Game over. The game is over. The Ravens lose by a millimeter decision.

Player of the game:

What a debut. Rookie Xavier Worthy puts on a show in his first NFL game. It seems as if the Chiefs have found a great difference-maker with their first-round pick. In his first game, he touched the ball three times – and twice scored a touchdown. Once with incredible speed, once with perfect positioning and good hands.

For his first points, the 21-year-old, who weighs just 75 kilograms – the fastest man in the history of the NFL Combine, the legendary performance test for rookies at what feels like the speed of light – powered his way through the Ravens defense to tie the score at 7:7. His second touchdown came after a coverage error by the Ravens, which left Worthy, who cleverly broke free, completely unmarked on the right sideline.

Chiefs fans can thank the Buffalo Bills, because without their trade on draft day, Kansas City would not have gotten the first-round pick Worthy. The league is now enjoying the performance of this super rookie. With him, the Chiefs pose an even greater threat to the other teams. Mahomes also shows with a record that he is already in top form right from the start. Phew.

Scenes from the game:

Everything is of course focused on the duel between the quarterbacks. The two-time MVPs Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes are among the very best that this sport has to offer. In the five previous meetings, Mahomes has won four times, and now he is celebrating his fifth triumph.

Both quarterbacks dominate in their own way: Mahomes with the throw, Jackson with the run. But both improvise in a way that almost no one else on the planet can. Both make a little history at the start of the NFL season. With his pass to Kelce in the second quarter, Mahomes sets the all-time record for passing yards by a Chiefs quarterback. Jackson, who has become slimmer and more agile, runs 63 yards at halftime, twice as many as the Chiefs had at that point. This puts the 27-year-old in third place behind Michael Vick and Cam Newton on the list of all-time quarterback rushing yards.

But this time the superstars are overshadowed even before the game has even started. There is a huge bang. That is quite common in football. But this time Zeus, Thor or whatever god of thunder is in charge and not football professionals. Due to heavy rain, lightning and thunder, the players have to leave the field and the kickoff is postponed. The video boards in the stadium ask the fans to leave their seats to protect themselves. The game only starts 25 minutes later than planned, a rarity in the tightly scheduled NFL.

And then comes Cinderella Isaiah Likely and his toenail scratching the sideline.