Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs, Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Lamar Jackson said he isn’t wanting to have a rivalry with fellow MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Who could blame him honestly?
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson appeared on The Ringer‘s Slow News Day and was asked if he considers Patrick Mahomes to be a rival of his. Jackson said he’s “not trying to have no rivalry” with Mahomes and just wants to focus on playing football.
It’s not hard to see why these two would be considered rivals, as they’re the two best quarterbacks in the AFC and also are the quarterbacks of the two best teams in the AFC in the Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Mahomes won the MVP in 2018 after an electric season where he threw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, then Jackson went on to win it in 2019 after rushing for over 1,200 yards and leading the Ravens to a 14-2 record.
The two also traded Madden cover appearances, which is another thing linking them together. It’s only natural for them to be considered as rivals due to how dominant both have been in each of the past two seasons.
These two quarterbacks are two of the biggest names in all of football and it’s going to continue to be that way for the foreseeable future.
Mahomes already has a Super Bowl ring on his resumé and he did so with his explosive arm and ability to make plays. Jackson has struggled in the playoffs, but the way he both passes and runs roughshod over defenders can’t be underestimated at all.
So far in this ‘non-rivalry,’ Mahomes can point to the scoreboard and flex, as he and his Chiefs are 2-0 against Jackson and his Ravens. The Chiefs were the home team in both of those games, but even still, the Chiefs won both and have bragging rights.
The Chiefs – and Mahomes – have had Jackson’s number, handing him two of his three regular season losses and making him look human in both of those losses. It did take overtime for the Chiefs to beat Baltimore in 2018, but that was Jackson’s only regular season loss during his rookie season.
These two will square off for the third time in three years in week three of the 2020 regular season and this time it will be in Baltimore. Will Jackson finally get a W against the 2018 MVP? He’s due for a win against Mahomes and the Chiefs and if he does get that victory, maybe then he’ll consider this to be a rivalry.