Lamar Jackson and the Ravens look to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have owned the AFC for the better part of the past decade. They can be legitimately characterized as a dynasty. The Sunday will mark the sixth straight season the Chiefs will play in the American Football Conference Championship Game and they have appeared in three Super Bowls, winning two, over the same period.
Lamar Jackson and the AFC’s No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens will try to deny them a fourth when they meet this Sunday (3:00 p.m., CBS) at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
The sensational quarterback, who is the heavy favorite to earn his second NFL MVP award next month, craves what the Chiefs superlative signal caller, Patrick Mahomes, possesses—a Super Bowl title. Mahomes, who has been named the league’s regular season MVP twice, also has two Super Bowl MVPs on his resume.
Yet Jackson, who was masterful in the Ravens 34-10 victory over the Houston Texans last Saturday in their AFC divisional round victory, accounting for four touchdowns, two passing and two rushing, is keenly aware of the perspective of those who still doubt him. Naysayers have questioned whether the 27-year-old native of Pompano Beach, Florida, from the time he was the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner at Louisville, could be an effective passer on the pro level despite throwing for 9,043 yards in three collegiate seasons.
Jackson was stereotyped as a running QB, a characterization historically ascribed to Black quarterbacks. Yes, his 1,206 rushing yards in 2019, his first MVP campaign, is the NFL’s single season rushing record for a quarterback. But he also led the league with 36 passing touchdowns that year.
Undoubtedly the 6-2, 215 pound Jackson is an extraordinary ball carrier. In 86 games in his first six seasons, Jackson is fourth all-time in QB rushing yards with 5,258. Michael Vick is first with 6,109 but attained his numbers in 143 games. Jackson is on pace to shatter Vick’s record. Jackson admittedly needed to evolve in various aspects as a quarterback, specifically becoming more proficient at pre-snap reads and developing more patience in the pocket to allow his receivers, tight ends and running backs enough time to negotiate their routes.
The most consequential statistic for Jackson is his 62-24 regular season record and .721 winning percentage as a starter. But his detractors pointed to his 1-3 history in four postseason starts prior to his win last Saturday. He can quell some of the skepticism by toppling Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“You know I heard that,” acknowledged Jackson after defeating the Texans regarding the critique of his playoff record. “I’ve seen it, I don’t even got to hear it. I see it. But it is what it is. I don’t really care about what people say. I’m trying to win. Day in, day out, every time I’m on that field, I’m trying to play to the best of my ability. Those guys just had our team’s number in the past, but it’s a different team [now].”
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has maintained belief in Jackson throughout his career. “I thought Lamar was gonna play great, but he’s played great all year,” said Harbaugh. “Just now, it’s more important than ever. He’s been locked in from Day 1. That’s his term, and we’ve all kind of ran with that. He’s directed this whole thing.”
Earlier this week Chiefs two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Andy Reid expressed his respect for Jackson.
“This kid [Jackson], he throws it well, he throws it on the move well, runs the ball well, so we’ve just got to stay on top of that part of it throughout practice this week and then during the game.”
With the focus rightfully on Jackson and Mahomes, both teams’ defenses are equally critical. The Ravens unit could ultimately be remembered as one of the best ever and the Chiefs’ exceptional defense, not its offense as in past years, has driven them to another title shot.
Correction: The date of the NFL MVP award announcement was incorrectly noted last week. The MVP will be announced on February 8 at the 2024 NFL Honors in Las Vegas.
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