Championship Sunday will feature two MVP quarterbacks in the AFC Championship Game, as fans can’t wait to see Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes pitted against each other.
But if you’re expecting them to go at each other with words before the game, you’d be mistaken.
There’s nothing but respect from both sides.
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“I don’t like competing with him at all,” said Jackson, the likely 2023 NFL MVP who dominated with the Baltimore Ravens this season.
“He’s a great quarterback. Definitely a Hall of Famer. It’s a no-brainer, he’s definitely a Hall of Famer.”
The way Jackson views this matchup is “two up-and-coming greats going toe to toe like a heavyweight fight, heavyweight matchup, that’s what I see.’
Mahomes sent praise Jackson’s way during his own media availability in Kansas City.
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“He’s going to be the MVP for a reason,” Mahomes said.
“I’ve admired watching him from afar and know it’s going to be a great challenge for us every time we go up against him.”
The Ravens will be favored in this game, and not just because Jackson and the offense have been clicking on all cylinders throughout the year. Their defense has suffocated some of the best offenses in the league, including the Houston Texans last week in a 34-10 blowout at home.
But Mahomes is no stranger to playing the Ravens since he entered the league. He’s faced off against Jackson on four different occasions, and won three of them. The only loss came in 2021 when the Ravens defeated the Chiefs, 36-35, though Mahomes threw for 343 yards with three touchdowns in that bout.
The Chiefs’ offense has been criticized all season, as the lack of wide receiver talent and drops galore in the pass game slowed down a normally explosive group.
However, Kansas City got through the Miami Dolphins in frigid temperatures at home, while handling Mahomes’ first road playoff game of his career last week.
The Chiefs will be on the road again, but they will be facing a team that has been dominant on their home turf all season long. That includes last week’s performance from the Ravens, holding rookie phenom C.J. Stroud to just three points on offense (their lone touchdown was a punt return in the first half), while Jackson ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns and threw for two as well.
So, while Mahomes certainly has the championship experience – he’ll be playing in his sixth straight conference championship game – Jackson has the determination to make this moment his own to get the chance to play for his first Super Bowl ring.
“To be a champion, you’ve got to go through a champion,” Jackson said.
A statement that couldn’t be more true, but no matter the outcome, respect goes both ways between these two generational talents.
