![[original_title]](https://rawnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1725543014_i-1024x576.jpeg)
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Eight months in the past in a 17-10 loss within the AFC Championship Sport, Lamar Jackson was so infuriated after throwing a fourth-quarter interception in the long run zone that the Baltimore Ravens quarterback ripped off his helmet and slammed it to the bottom whereas strolling to the sideline.
The reigning NFL Most Valuable Player has constructed a repute for irritating defenses along with his elusiveness and unpredictability. But, relating to his clashes with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Jackson has normally been the one left pissed off.
Heading into Thursday night time’s rematch with the Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), Jackson cannot even the rating by beating the two-time defending Tremendous Bowl champions. However a victory within the season opener for Jackson may begin to change the narrative that Mahomes has develop into his roadblock.
Jackson is 1-4 towards Mahomes, which is tied for the fifth most lopsided rivalry between MVP award-winning quarterbacks who’ve performed one another a minimum of 5 instances.
“I am not simply going to take a look at this recreation prefer it’s a revenge recreation,” Jackson mentioned. “Anyone we have performed, irrespective of if we have beat them or misplaced to them in earlier years, I simply need to win.”
The success of Mahomes and Jackson has led some to suppose this may very well be the subsequent Brady-Manning rivalry. At this stage, Mahomes vs. Jackson has been extra uneven than epic.
Jackson’s 4 losses towards Kansas Metropolis are his most towards any crew. Aside from Mahomes, no quarterback has overwhelmed Jackson greater than twice.
“I am certain [that] any time you lose towards anybody, there’s going to be additional motivation,” Ravens center linebacker Roquan Smith mentioned. “I’ve all my religion in Lamar. He is the chief of this crew, and [we know] that he’ll lead us precisely the place we need to go, on the finish of the day, and all we will do is proceed to assist him.”
Jackson has been one of the crucial profitable quarterbacks within the NFL, surpassing Mahomes in February to develop into the youngest two-time MVP (age 27) because the merger. As a dual-threat playmaker, Jackson has led the Ravens to the perfect regular-season report within the league twice in his first six seasons (14-2 in 2019, 13-4 in 2023).
When competing towards different high quarterbacks, Jackson has normally come out on high. He gained each of his conferences towards Tom Brady. He is overwhelmed Joe Burrow 4 out of 5 instances.
However he is struggled to outduel Mahomes. Jackson’s first loss as a starter was a 27-24 defeat in Kansas Metropolis in Week 14 of the 2018 season, when he was knocked out of the sport in additional time with an ankle damage. In 2020, after Jackson’s third straight loss to the Chiefs, he known as them “our kryptonite.”
In January, Jackson was stopped one recreation wanting reaching his first Tremendous Bowl when the Chiefs held him to 10 factors or much less for simply the fourth time in his 83-game profession.
“Every time anyone loses to anyone — it would not matter who it’s — you type of need to get again at that particular person and need to show [that], ‘We will beat them, too,'” Ravens security Kyle Hamilton mentioned. “I believe Lamar has the identical mindset that I’ve [and] that everyone within the constructing has — we’re attempting to go in there on Thursday and get a win.”
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Mahomes and Jackson could be measured by the smallest of margins.
Mahomes set the tone within the AFC Championship Sport within the first quarter: He accomplished an inconceivable back-shoulder 19-yard landing go to tight finish Travis Kelce, who had a half-yard separation on Hamilton, for the primary rating of the sport.
“No one does it like Patrick Mahomes does it by way of the fashion of it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh mentioned. “He’s his personal man by way of the best way he performs. How fast the ball comes out on those on the get-it-outs and the way lengthy he’ll take — so long as mandatory — to attempt to discover a completion.”
TRAVIS KELCE BACK-SHOULDER TD 😱
(by way of @chiefs)pic.twitter.com/gdF4ix8pX8
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2024
Thursday might be marketed as a historic night time of famous person quarterbacks. This can mark the primary showdown between gamers with a number of MVP awards underneath the age of 30.
Towards Kansas Metropolis, Jackson has stumbled to create performs towards a protection that unleashes heavy blitzes and takes away his high goal in tight finish Mark Andrews. He has recorded 5 passing touchdowns and three interceptions for a 53 QBR towards the Chiefs.
Mahomes, in the meantime, makes use of his accuracy to search out cracks in Baltimore’s protection. There have been completely positioned lengthy throws to the tip zone and off-balance exact passes towards the grain. Mahomes has thrown 13 touchdowns and two interceptions for a 86.2 QBR towards the Ravens, who in 2023 became the first team in history to steer the league in fewest factors allowed (16.5), most sacks (60) and most takeaways (tied for first at 31) in the identical season.
“He is an excellent quarterback,” Jackson mentioned. “I will say that. He is an excellent quarterback. He has the accolades to show it, and he is made issues occur on the sphere that makes his crew profitable.”
To vary his fortune towards Mahomes, Jackson can look to a different historic rivalry.
“They’re undoubtedly two of the highest quarterbacks on this league,” Ravens fullback Pat Ricard mentioned. “It is type of a Brady-Manning kind of deal.”
Peyton Manning misplaced his first six head-to-head conferences towards Brady earlier than profitable the subsequent three. He defeated Brady twice in 2006 — in Week 9 and the AFC Championship Sport — on his option to his first Tremendous Bowl. Brady completed with a 11-6 report towards Manning, however Manning gained six of the final 11 matchups.
“I believe greater than athletic skill and skill to throw is the best way he competes,” Mahomes mentioned about Jackson. “I imply, he is a man that competes each single week. You may inform he cares. You may inform he needs to go on the market and win and he needs to place it on his shoulders to take his crew to the place they will win as many video games as potential. And I believe that is one thing that is actually what it actually takes to be an excellent quarterback on this league.
“It isn’t all the time about expertise. It is about are you able to go on the market and compete each single week and discover methods to, each time you do not have your finest stuff, your crew would not have your finest stuff, you discover methods to win soccer video games that approach.”
IN THE AFC Championship Sport, Jackson dazzled the soccer world by finishing a 13-yard go — to himself. After his throw was tipped on the line of scrimmage, Jackson ran underneath it and had a path to the tip zone.
It was a second that led Jackson to profitable an ESPY for “Finest Play.” However Jackson did not just like the play.
He was tackled from behind by Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, turning what may have been an 82-yard landing right into a modest achieve. It caused Jackson to drop 15 pounds this offseason.
“My eyes could also be deceiving me, however I imagine I seemed a little bit slower to me,” Jackson mentioned, “however not now.”
LAMAR JACKSON DID IT ALL ON THIS PLAY 🔥 @Lj_era8 wins the ESPYS Finest Play along with his exceptional second vs. the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kMNdosrCej
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 12, 2024
Since changing into the Ravens’ starter halfway by means of the 2018 season, Jackson is tied with Mahomes for the perfect win proportion within the common season. Jackson is 58-19 (.753), and Mahomes is 64-21 (.753).
The distinction comes within the postseason. Mahomes is 15-3 within the playoffs, profitable three Tremendous Bowls. Jackson is 2-4 within the postseason and has by no means reached a Tremendous Bowl.
“We’ve to enter each recreation attempting to make the playoffs,” Jackson mentioned. “Playoffs are on our thoughts, however on the identical time, we’ve to win this recreation that is forward of us.”
The Ravens have undergone change because the AFC Championship Sport. Jackson will line up behind a revamped offensive line, which options three new starters. Baltimore signed operating again Derrick Henry, changing into the primary All-Professional to share the backfield with Jackson.
However, if Jackson needs to succeed in his final objective of profitable a Tremendous Bowl, he’ll possible want to determine a option to get by means of Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“He is all the time discovering a option to elevate himself and his recreation,” Andrews mentioned. “It is only a full package deal of taking management of this offense [and] telling all people what he needs to be executed. He is been extraordinarily vocal about that, which I believe has been wonderful for everyone, and that goes again to all of us being on the identical web page. He is bought that down actually, very well proper now, and guys are purchased in. So, we’ll be examined [Thursday], and I hope it reveals.”
ESPN reporter Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
