Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
Patrick Mahomes has achieved superstardom in the NFL, but let’s not forget about the reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson just yet. He’s fantastic, too!
Patrick Mahomes ran laps around Lamar Jackson this postseason.
While these two star quarterbacks are the last two NFL MVPs, it was Mahomes who took his game to new heights in the playoffs. After losing at home to the New England Patriots in the 2018 AFC Championship a year ago, Mahomes made sure nothing got in the Kansas City Chiefs’ way this winter, guiding Kansas City to its first Super Bowl championship in 50 years.
Mahomes’ meteoric rise to superstardom was predictable, yet utterly fascinating. With a right arm that would make Dan Marino jealous, no wonder Mahomes has universal praise entering his fourth season out of Texas Tech. It’s not like we don’t like Jackson, but he has been forgotten a bit behind Mahomes’ rise.
Jackson electrified the college football world during his unforgettable career at Louisville. He was so good for the Cardinals that we almost forgot Teddy Bridgewater played the position there before him and Deshaun Watson was never able to win a Heisman Trophy in college. We knew Jackson had elite dual-threat play-making abilities, but his 2019 campaign was something else.
The Baltimore Ravens went 14-2 and earned the first No. 1 seed in franchise history since moving from Cleveland in 1996. Baltimore was the favorite to win Super Bowl LIV. That was until the battering ram that is Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans came to M&T Bank Stadium in the Divisional round and brought a swift end to that. Jackson is now 0-2 in AFC playoff games.
For that reason, 2020 is a critical year for the reigning NFL MVP. He has a tremendous team built around him and two coordinators on staff who are good enough to be head coaches. Regardless of how Baltimore does this season, the Ravens are out of excuses when it comes to dropping playoff games at home with Jackson as their starting quarterback. It’s time.
The way 2019 ended will make Jackson work even harder this offseason. He put on muscle to counterbalance his perceived slenderness as a rookie in 2018. If he can become a tad more refined in the passing game, then Jackson can take his game to an even higher level. Should he be able to do that, the Ravens can challenge the Chiefs for AFC supremacy.