An underrated moment in the eventful NFL season opener between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs occurred early in the fourth quarter when Patrick Mahomes ran toward the sideline.
The result of the game was a first down and later a vow of revenge.
As Mahomes ran out of bounds on a third-and-3 attempt with 11:34 left in the game, he was met by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. The resulting contact caused Mahomes to fall to the ground, but there was no late hit penalty.
A Chiefs player, tight end Peyton Hendershot, took offense at the contact and shoved Smith from behind, leading to a minor altercation.
A different perspective:
The play ended up being just a footnote in the Chiefs’ 27-20 victory, in which the Ravens narrowly missed tying the score and made a game-winning 2-point attempt as time expired. There was a lot to talk about after the game, and Smith made sure everyone knew he hadn’t forgotten his altercation with Hendershot:
“Oh, (Mahomes) flopped. Yeah, he flopped. That’s why the refs didn’t call it. It was a great non-call by the ref. But whoever number 88 is, I don’t know who he is, but he better watch himself. He did a little nifty shove. Whoever number 88 is, I have no idea who he is, but I’ll see him when I see him.”
Hendershot is part of the Chiefs’ 53-man squad but did not play in Thursday’s game, but Smith seems hopeful he will be back on the field when the two teams meet again.
The Chiefs acquired Hendershot last week in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Smith finished the game with a team-high seven tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass defensed, and the game’s only interception. This isn’t the first time there’s been some minor but controversial drama between the Ravens and Chiefs.
