Winners and Losers from Kansas City Chiefs' Week 1 Triumph Over Baltimore Ravens

In the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens, multiple players stood out for good and bad reasons alike.

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) runs with the ball against Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (32) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

It wasn't by as wide of a margin as it could've been, but the Kansas City Chiefs opened up their 2024-25 slate with a victory nonetheless.

The back-to-back Super Bowl champs are 1-0 to start the year, securing a dramatic win over the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Thanks to some timely scores and a close touchdown reversal at the end of the game, Andy Reid's squad got the best of John Harbaugh's group for the second time this calendar year.

Countless individual performances are worth noting – both good and bad – from the opener. With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the first week of the regular season.

Winner: Chris Jones

The Chiefs were without Chris Jones for Week 1 last season, and his absence was evident. The pass rush struggled without him, which certainly would've been the case had he missed the inaugural game of the 2024 campaign as well. This time around, the All-Pro defensive tackle made an impact early with a pressure and a run stop on Baltimore's opening possession. A forced fumble in the second quarter also set Kansas City up for a field goal. Steve Spagnuolo and company allowed Jones to hunt matchups all night and while he wasn't perfect, he started the year with a bang.

Loser: Nick Bolton

Even with so many other talented players to compete with, there might not be a more polarizing Chief than Nick Bolton. On Thursday night, however, there seemed to be a clear majority outlook on his performance for the first time in quite a while. He didn't make splash plays in the run game. The fourth-year linebacker was slow to react on multiple plays, also struggling to pursue the action away from his direct assignment. Isaiah Likely's touchdown, one that saw Bolton whiff on the chance to prevent a score after a pass from Lamar Jackson, was the most obvious mishap. Bolton deserves some slack given the fact that he's still getting his legs back under him following an elbow injury. With that said, he looked off-pace and out of place in Week 1.

Winner: Xavier Worthy

The Chiefs' first-round pick gave them immediate returns to launch the regular season. Xavier Worthy's speed is extremely real, as evidenced by his touchdown run in the first quarter. The Texas product also had a solid snag for a first down later in the game, capping things off by making the most of a blown coverage in the fourth quarter and getting another score. While Worthy doesn't need to get crowned as the next WR1 in Kansas City for simply running to the right spots, it's clear that he's a weapon. He dreamed about making an impact, which is exactly what he did against Baltimore.

Loser: Chamarri Conner

Following a very strong rookie campaign, safety Chamarri Conner played some uninspiring football in the preseason. That bled into Week 1, where the former Day 3 draft pick missed multiple tackles in the first half and couldn't come down with an interception on Baltimore's first drive of the second half. On the Ravens' penultimate possession, he failed to convert a tackle that would've been good for a stop behind the sticks. Conner's range, closing speed and aggressiveness are all plus traits, although he'll have to rein things in moving forward and be more efficient.

Winner: Rashee Rice

Even with Worthy in the fold, Rashee Rice picked up right where he left off last season. Looking even shiftier in his movements, the second-year man did plenty of damage over the middle of the field. Finishing with seven receptions for 103 yards, Rice logged 78 of those yards after the catch and had 60 of them against off-coverage. Given Worthy's speed and tight end Travis Kelce's gravity, expecting this quality of production every week is realistic. The quantity may not always be there, but Rice remains a key cog in the machine that is the Chiefs' offense.

Winner: Leo Chenal

Right around training camp time, Spagnuolo hinted at linebacker Leo Chenal playing a few different roles on defense this year. The athletic former third-round pick had opportunities open up due to the departure of Willie Gay Jr., and he capitalized in Week 1. Chenal was excellent at containing Jackson, and a specific two-play sequence of a forced throwaway and a tackle on the next snap stood out. He also had a couple of tipped passes, a staple of the Chiefs' front seven. Chenal, not necessarily known for his consistency, passed his first test of the year with flying colors.

Read More: Three Takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs' 27-20 Win Over the Baltimore Ravens