Ravens’ Roquan Smith threatens Chiefs TE as Baltimore crumbles vs KC - “He better watch himself”
Roquan Smith and the Baltimore Ravens almost had it. They lost 20-27 at the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs after tight end Isaiah Likely stepped out of bounds on what would have been the game-tying (or winning) touchdown with no seconds left on the clock.
But something graver happened. Early in the fourth quarter, the Pro Bowl linebacker shoved star quarterback Patrick Mahomes during a running play. In return, tight end Peyton Hendershot, who was inactive for the game, shoved him back.
After the game, Smith, who also intercepted Mahomes once in the third quarter, issued this threat:
“Whoever 88 is, I don't know who he is, but he better watch himself. He did a little slick push... I’ll see him when I see him.”
The altercation can be seen below:
The Ravens were not penalized for the shove, but it seemingly motivated the Chiefs, who re-extended their lead to 10 with Xavier Worthy's first receiving touchdown and second overall touchdown. Mahomes was all praise for his record-breaking rookie wideout after the game:
"He's a playmaker … he's got a long way to go, he's going to be great."
Roquan Smith also claims Patrick Mahomes flopped when he shoved him out of bounds
The warning shots to Hendershot were not the only bold words to come out of Roquan Smith's mouth during his press availability. He also claimed that Patrick Mahomes had flopped:
"[Mahomes] flopped, that’s why they didn’t call it. Great no call."
The quarterback was also hit out of bounds by safety Marcus Williams, but a Chiefs penalty offset it.
Roquan Smith-Peyton Hendershot altercation was not the only controversy in Chiefs-Ravens kickoff game
As the end of the first half came to a close, the Chiefs called a timeout. There was just one problem: it was defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who had called it, which violates NFL rules.
Rules analyst Terry McAulay said during the broadcast:
“He can’t do that. It has to be the head coach who comes down. Nobody else can call a timeout on the sideline except the head coach.”
Fans were also quick to point out instances of the Ravens being called for illegal formation, but not the Chiefs: