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ESPN Staff Writer Jamison Hensley
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Eight months ago, during a 10-17 loss in the AFC Championship Game, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson became so enraged after an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter that he took off his helmet and slammed it to the ground as he walked to the sideline.
The reigning NFL MVP has developed a reputation for frustrating defenses with his cunning and unpredictability, but when it comes to clashes with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Jackson is usually the one who gets frustrated.
Heading into Thursday night’s rematch with the Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), Jackson can’t score a point against the two-time Super Bowl champs. But if Jackson wins his season-opening game, the narrative that Mahomes is his obstacle could change.
Jackson is 1-4 against Mahomes, making it the fifth-most intense rivalry between MVP-winning quarterbacks who have played each other at least five times.
“I’m not going to look at this game as a revenge game,” Jackson said. “Every team we’ve played over the years, whether we’ve won or lost, I just want to win.”
The success of Mahomes and Jackson has led some to think this could be the next Brady-Manning rivalry. At this stage, Mahomes vs. Jackson has been more uneven than epic.
Jackson’s four losses against Kansas City are the most against any team. No quarterback other than Mahomes has beaten Jackson more than twice.
“I’m sure he’ll be more motivated when he loses to anyone,” Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said. “I have full confidence in Lamar. He’s the leader of this team, and (we) know he’s going to lead us to where we want to go. And all we can do is continue to support him.”
Jackson is one of the most successful quarterbacks in the NFL, becoming the youngest two-time MVP (at age 27) since the merger, surpassing Mahomes in February. As a dual-threat playmaker, Jackson has led the Ravens to two of the league’s best regular-season records in his first six seasons (14-2 in 2019 and 13-4 in 2023).
When competing against other top quarterbacks, Jackson usually wins. He won both of his meetings with Tom Brady. He beat Joe Burrow four of five times.
But he struggled to beat Mahomes. Jackson’s first loss as a starter was a 27-24 loss at Kansas City in Week 14 of the 2018 season, when he was knocked out of the game in overtime with an ankle injury. In 2020, after Jackson’s third straight loss to the Chiefs, he called them “our kryptonite.”
In January, Jackson fell one game short of his first Super Bowl appearance, as the Chiefs held him to 10 points or fewer for the fourth time in his 83-game career.
“When you lose to anybody — anybody — you want to get back at them and prove (that we can beat them too),” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “I think Lamar has the same mentality as me (and) everybody in the building — we’re going to go in there on Thursday and try to win.”
Differences Mahomes and Jackson can be measured by very small differences.
Mahomes set the tone for the AFC Championship Game in the first quarter, throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce, who finished the game with a half-yard pass to Hamilton for the game’s first touchdown.
“Stylistically, there’s nobody who does it like Patrick Mahomes,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s his own guy in terms of the way he plays. How fast he gets the ball and how long it takes him to find the completion — as long as he needs to.”
Travis Kelce Back Shoulder TD 😱
(through @Chiefs)pic.twitter.com/gdF4ix8pX8
— Sports Center (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2024
Thursday will be billed as a historic night for superstar quarterbacks, as it will be the first matchup between multiple MVP award winners under the age of 30.
Against Kansas City, Jackson failed to make plays against a defense that blitzed heavily and took away tight end Mark Andrews’ top target. He had five passing touchdowns and three interceptions for a 53 QBR against the Chiefs.
Meanwhile, Mahomes uses his accuracy to find cracks in Baltimore’s defense. There were long throws perfectly placed into the end zone and accurate passes that were off balance. Mahomes had 13 touchdowns and two interceptions against the Ravens in 2023, posting an 86.2 QBR. The Ravens became the first team in history to lead the league in fewest points allowed (16.5), most sacks (60) and most takeaways (31) in the same season.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Jackson said. “I’ll say that. He’s a great quarterback. He has the accolades to prove it, and he’s done a great job on the field of leading his team to success.”
To turn his fortunes against Mahomes, Jackson could look to another historic rivalry.
“They’re definitely the two best quarterbacks in the league,” Ravens fullback Pat Rickard said. “This is a Brady-Manning type of deal.”
Peyton Manning lost the first six meetings with Brady, but won the next three. He beat Brady twice in 2006. He advanced to his first Super Bowl in Week 9 and the AFC Championship Game. Brady is 11-6 against Manning, but Manning has won six of the last 11 meetings.
“I think it’s more about how he competes than his athleticism and his ability to throw,” Mahomes said of Jackson. “He’s a guy who competes every week. You can tell he cares. He wants to go out there and win and put his weight on the line to lead the team to a place where they can win as many games as possible. And I think that’s what it really takes to be a great quarterback in this league.
“It’s not always about talent. It’s about going out there every week and competing and finding a way to win football games when you don’t have your best players, when you don’t have your best players on the team.”
In the AFC In the championship game, Jackson stunned the football world by completing a 13-yard pass. To himself. After his throw was over the line of scrimmage, Jackson ran underneath it and made his way into the end zone.
It was the moment that Jackson won the ESPY award for “Best Play.” But Jackson didn’t like the play.
He turned what could have been an 82-yard touchdown into a modest gain after being tackled from behind by Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill. The move prompted Jackson to shed 15 pounds in the offseason.
“Maybe my eyes were deceiving me, but I think I looked a little slower,” Jackson said. “But not anymore.”
Lamar Jackson did it all in this play 🔥 @Lj_era8 He won the ESPYS Best Play award for his amazing moment in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs 🙌 pic.twitter.com/kMNdosrCej
— Sports Center (@SportsCenter) July 12, 2024
Since becoming the Ravens’ starter midway through the 2018 season, Jackson is tied with Mahomes for the highest regular-season winning percentage: Jackson is 58-19 (.753) to Mahomes’ 64-21 (.753).
The difference comes in the postseason. Mahomes has gone 15-3 in the playoffs and has won three Super Bowls. Jackson has gone 2-4 in the postseason and has never made it to a Super Bowl.
“We have to play every game to get to the playoffs,” Jackson said. “The playoffs are on our minds, but at the same time, we have to win the games we have left.”
The Ravens have changed since the AFC Championship Game. Jackson will line up behind a revamped offensive line with three new starters. Baltimore signed running back Derrick Henry, making him the first All-Pro to share the backfield with Jackson.
But if Jackson wants to achieve his ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl, he’ll probably have to find a way to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“He’s always looking for ways to improve himself and his game,” Andrews said. “It’s the complete package of controlling this offense and telling everybody what he wants to do. He’s been very outspoken about it, and I think that’s been amazing for everybody. And it comes back to us all being on the same page. He’s done a really, really good job of it right now, and the guys are engaged. So, we’re going to be tested (Thursday) and hopefully it shows.”
ESPN reporter Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
