Lamar expects ‘heavyweight fight’ vs. Mahomes

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson gave a chuckle when asked what it’s like to face Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the AFC Championship Game.

“I don’t like competing against him at all,” Jackson said Wednesday.

Jackson has lost three of four meetings with Mahomes, his most losses against any quarterback (regular season or playoffs).

“He’s a great quarterback. [He’s] definitely a Hall of Famer. It’s a no-brainer,” Jackson said. “I believe [it’s] just two greats — up-and-coming greats — just going toe-to-toe, like a heavyweight fight.”

It’s the first time in NFL history that two NFL Most Valuable Player quarterbacks under the age of 30 will go against each other in the playoffs. This marks the seventh conference championship game — and the first since 2020 — in which both starting quarterbacks have won at least one NFL MVP award entering the game.

Sunday’s game is also the first time that Jackson and Mahomes will face each other in the postseason.

“I know we’re going to play in a lot of games like this as our careers go on,” Mahomes said, “and I’m sure this will be the first of many.”

Jackson has the second-best regular-season record for a starting quarterback through the first six seasons (58-19), trailing only Mahomes. Jackson is the favorite to win his second NFL MVP award, which would match Mahomes’ total.

But Mahomes has what Jackson wants — a Super Bowl title. Mahomes has hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy twice, including last season.

“To be a champion, you’ve got to go through a champion,” Jackson said. “So, that’s pretty much the mindset.”

In four games against Kansas City, Jackson has averaged 187.5 yards passing, throwing four touchdowns and two interceptions. But Jackson has changed since the last time he went against the Chiefs in 2021.

This season, Jackson set career highs in passing yards (3,678) and completion rate (67.2%). He has played his best against the best, beating 10 teams that finished with winning records, which is the most by a quarterback since at least 2000, when ESPN Stats & Information began tracking this.

“He’s going to be the MVP for a reason,” Mahomes said. “He goes out there, he leads his team. He scores, he runs, he throws, he does whatever it takes to win. That’s what the great greats do. It will be a great challenge for our defense, but also a great challenge for offense going against their defense. So it’s going to take a full team effort if we want to find a way to get a win.”

ESPN’s Adam Teicher contributed to this article.