Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely had a good performance against the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas Day, but the best part of his night may have come when he checked his phone and saw a franchise legend giving him love.
During the third quarter of the Ravens' 33-19 win on the road , Lamar Jackson dropped back to pass and found Likely open on the left sideline. The tight end then delivered a nasty stiff arm to 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown before splitting two tackles and picking up 34 yards on the reception.
After the play, legendary Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis posted a message of support for Likely's catch and run.
"That stiff arm is most 'Likely' going to end up on SportsCenter," Lewis wrote.
Likely responded to post after the game with "Love from the [goat emoji]‼️ GOTTA BE CHRISTMAS."
The sophomore tight end caught three passes on four targets for 56 yards in the win. He has been thriving as the Ravens' starting tight end since Mark Andrews went down with a season-ending ankle injury in a Week 11 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
This season, Likely has caught 26 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns, approaching career-highs in each category. He was drafted by Baltimore in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Coastal Carolina.
The Ravens will be back in action on New Year's Eve at 1 p.m. when they host the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium. With Baltimore at 12-3 and Miami at 11-4, the winner of the game will have full control of the No. 1 seed in the AFC heading into the final week.
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