The Kansas City Chiefs are playing in their sixth-consecutive AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens this weekend.
This highly-anticipated matchup will be the first time that Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson will face each other in the postseason. Jackson put together an exceptional 2023 campaign in Baltimore and is expected to win his second MVP award as the Ravens endeavor to earn their first Super Bowl berth since 2013.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, Mahomes gave props to Jackson, explaining the challenge of going up against such a decorated quarterback.
“It’s challenging, the way [Lamar Jackson is] able to just be a competitor and just score the football… then their entire team — it’s a tall task,” Mahomes explained. “You have to go out there and play your best football, and if you make any mistakes, it seems like the game’s going to go the other way.
“We’ve been able to play in a couple of games, not in a few years now, but I’ve admired watching him from afar and know that it’s going to be a great challenge for us every time we go up against him.”
Jackson, who made a name for himself as a scrambler at the University of Louisville before his selection in the first round of the 2018 draft, has developed into an incredible pocket passer. Mahomes acknowledged Jackson’s progression in this area and expounded on the threat that he will pose with his legs.
“He’s going to be the MVP for a reason,” Mahomes told reporters. “He goes out there, he leads his team, he scores, he runs, he throws, he does whatever it takes to win, and that’s what the greats do. Obviously, everybody has talked about his running, but you can see how he’s developed into a passer.
“Throwing from within the pocket, arm angles, making the accurate throw in big situations and big moments. That’s what the great quarterbacks do. He continues to get better and better every single year.”
Jackson is 1-3 against the Chiefs in his career, but the 27-year-old quarterback is not as reliant on improvisation as he has been in previous seasons.
Fans should expect the sensational dual-threat signal-caller to give Kansas City’s defense fits on Sunday as he looks to lead Baltimore to the Super Bowl.
