he AFC Championship Game is set. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens‘ path to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas has one more step on it — but it’s the most difficult one of all, as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs stand in their way.
The ball is still six days from being kicked off, but the Jackson–Mahomes showdown is already sure to make history. These are two of the very best quarterbacks in the NFL today, and their accomplishments — relatively early in their careers — have fans salivating not only over their first postseason meeting, but future matchups to come.
The best quarterbacks in the AFC
According to NFL Research, the AFC title game will be the first-ever showdown between two former MVP signal-callers who are younger than 30. Mahomes, a two-time MVP, won the award in 2018 and 2022, while Jackson’s only MVP award to date was bestowed upon him following his exceptional 2019 season.
The AFC Championship Game between #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes vs #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson will be the first ever match-up between former MVP QBs under the age of 30.
(h/t @NFLResearch) https://t.co/WNpy500QpR pic.twitter.com/GGJRbYCpfp
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 23, 2024
Jackson and the Ravens might have home field advantage for Sunday’s game — oddsmakers have made Baltimore a 3.5-point favorite in part because this game will be played at M&T Bank Stadium. But Mahomes has faced serious on-field adversity during the 2023 season — including the first road playoff game of his career — and has overcome it all to lead the Chiefs to a sixth consecutive conference championship game.
Comparisons between Mahomes and Tom Brady are growing louder and louder, and the Chiefs’ superstar can further enhance his reputation as an “inevitable” quarterback and leader by walking out of one of the NFL’s toughest venues and leading Kansas City to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
A pair of two-time MVPs?
Although we will not know the 2023 NFL MVP when the AFC title game kicks off on Sunday, it is widely expected that Jackson will take home the hardware at the NFL Honors event on Feb. 8 — three days before Super Bowl LVIII. This would make Jackson, like Mahomes, a two-time league MVP.
#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans on Lamar Jackson’s huge second half:
“That’s why he’s the MVP.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 21, 2024
Unlike other recent NFL seasons, the MVP race in 2023 has been anything but straightforward. But as the regular season drew to a close, Jackson emerged as the front-runner once it became clear that Baltimore would win the AFC North and claim the conference’s top seed. Jackson’s rapport with new offensive coordinator Todd Monken resulted in a career-high 3,678 passing yards and 29 total touchdowns — but the ultimate goal, bringing a Super Bowl back to Baltimore, remains in the balance.