It’s too bad that Lamar Jackson won’t get a chance to play against Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. The AFC title game already has the feel that it is the Super Bowl with Mahomes, a two-time NFL most valuable player, going up against Jackson, who is expected to capture his second NFL MVP trophy.
It’s the best going up against the best. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are defending Super Bowl champs. Jackson and the No. 1 Baltimore Ravens want to take their place on the NFL throne. It’s going to be a lot tougher than it looks.
And then what we are getting could be a matchup for the ages, except it will only be for the right to play in Super Bowl LVIII. Mahomes and the Chiefs have won two Super Bowl trophies. Jackson has none under his belt.
Mahomes has reached the AFC championship game six times in the last six years as a starter. Jackson just won his second playoff game. What Mahomes has done is remarkable, especially considering this is his seventh season playing in the NFL. Meanwhile, Jackson is trying to shake off the demons of postseason futility and raise his game to the next level.
On the regular season front, Jackson has that covered. Already parked at the No. 4 spot, Jackson is within a season or two of smashing Michael Vick’s all-time record for yards rushing by a quarterback. There’s been no one who has come close to Vick in terms of altering a game with both his legs and throwing the football.
Jackson has been that guy and more. Watching Jackson is watching a human highlight reel. Get your popcorn and drinks and be prepared to be dazzled. Dazzle, however, does not win a Super Bowl. It looks good but you get no brownie points for making a defender look bad except when you play Madden.
Looking at those background stats, Mahomes appears to be the clear and decisive winner and will have an advantage against the mercurial Jackson. Well, that would be true if Jackson was not the most electrifying player in the National Football League. And he’s hungry.
Jackson has played all season like he’s on a serious mission to prove to all the doubters and haters that his style of ball is good enough to win a Super Bowl. This season, Jackson is out to dismiss the belief that you can’t win a Super Bowl and still be spectacular. Jackson is more than just the quarterback on the best team.
To unseat Mahomes, you have to have the ability to bring it. After seeing Jackson run for two touchdowns and pass for another two scores in a 34-10 win against the Houston Texans in a divisional playoff game, the Baltimore quarterback also has that Alpha factor going. He is that dude.
Mahomes, who guided the Chiefs to a 27-24 road win against the Buffalo Bills, is not going down without a fight. If Jackson and the Ravens want to march to Super Bowl LVIII, they’ll have to snatch the crown from Mahomes and the Chiefs.
A win in the AFC title game on the road against Baltimore will only serve to solidify Mahomes’ already Hall of Fame career.
To be elevated to all-time greatness status, Jackson has to beat the best. And there is no one better than Mahomes. To be the best you have to beat the best. This is Jackson’s moment to do just that. Mahomes will be waiting for the opportunity to enhance his legendary stature.
Top Photo Caption: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs away from a Los Angeles Chargers defender in a game played during the 2023 NFL season. Photo credit: Melinda Meijer/News4usonline
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com