Over the past seven seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have been on top of the AFC. During that time, Kansas City has become rivals with all the top teams in the conference. While the Buffalo Bills have been the Chiefs' most talked-about rival, the Baltimore Ravens also fall into this category.
After an epic regular season encounter last year that ended in controversy, the Chiefs and Ravens meet again in Week 4. This year's matchup promises to be another epic showdown. On Thursday, Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely appeared on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, reflecting on the ending of last year's game while looking forward to this season's clash.
When Adams asked him ir he'd be wearing white cleats this year, Likely responded, " Oh no, see, I feel like everybody's waiting for me to wear the white cleats, but in my head, just being the bad little kid, I want to wear the black ones again and score the exact same way."
Isaiah Likely's Stubbornness Benefits Chiefs in 2025 Season
Last season, those two franchises opened the season against each other in a thrilling game that had a controversial finish in some Ravens fans' eyes. Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely caught a ten-yard pass from Lamar Jackson that was originally ruled a touchdown. But upon further review, Likley's toes were on the line.
While this is clear to see with his black cleats, some Ravens fans still believed they were robbed of sending the game to overtime.
Likely's reluctance to change his cleats helps the Chiefs. Continuing to wear black cleats makes it easier for the referees to see when he is out of bounds. If he switched to white cleats, referees would have a much harder time distinguishing if he stepped out of bounds.
As a result, he might be able to steal some yards and catches away from Kansas City, which could swing a game's outcome. If that happened, NFL fans, especially those in Baltimore, wouldn't be able to complain that the refs favored the Chiefs.
Nevertheless, Likely continuing to wear black cleats plays in favor of the Chiefs. Regardless of the color of Likely's cleats, Chiefs vs. Ravens will be a stressful yet entertaining game to watch.