First off, the manner in which the Baltimore Ravens lost 27-20 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener is about as soul-crushing as a loss gets. Tight end Isaiah Likely was millimeters away from a touchdown grab that would have allowed Baltimore to either force overtime or go for the win with a two-point conversion.

Second, the Ravens have work to do—especially on the offensive line. A line with three new starters didn’t play well much of the game, and the most established player on that line (left tackle Ronnie Stanley) was flagged for illegal formation approximately 112 times.

With that said, the Chiefs lost the opener last year and things worked out OK. There are things to clean up. Derrick Henry needs to get going after a blah Ravens debut. But in defeat, the Ravens may have found what could be a key piece for the offense this season.

It can’t really be said that Likely broke out against the Chiefs. The third-year pro has flashed in the past when afforded the opportunity. There’s a reason that Baltimore spent so much time in “12” personnel Thursday—and it wasn’t just because the O-Line was struggling.

Likely exploded against Kansas City. While veteran Mark Andrews was essentially invisible (two catches, 14 yards), Likely paced the Ravens in targets (12), receptions (9) and receiving yards (111), while catching Lamar Jackson’s lone touchdown pass of the game.

And again, he was a toe away from score No. 2.

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, Likely looked like Travis Kelce. Or Andrews before injuries sapped his explosiveness. And while some will say that you shouldn’t overreact to one game, that didn’t look like a fluke.

It looked like a changing of the guard.