Let’s look back at the Chiefs Week 3 matchup with the Ravens
 

I’ll be honest, I have no idea why I wrote this. It’s a way too long breakdown about the Chiefs 2019 matchup against the Ravens and examines the potential of a future rivalry. I know there are still questions about the sustainability of Lamar’s game, but TL;DR - I hope he succeeds. A Mahomes-Lamar rivalry would be incredible as Chiefs fans and stellar for the game, even if Mahomes has the upper hand. I realized when I finished writing that I had no real place to upload this, so I landed on Chiefsplanet. I totally understand if you pass on this for other threads here. With that said..

https://usatchiefswire.files.wordpre...0&h=600&crop=1

Why the potential of a Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson rivalry puts Chiefs fans in a whole new territory of fandom.

Week 3, 2019: Ravens @ Chiefs <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nV0y8Uh3hhg" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The media was buzzing coming into Week 3 of the Chiefs 2019 season. The Ravens were the first defense that slowed down Patrick Mahomes in 2018. The Ravens were up 24-17 with a minute left in the fourth quarter. It required one of Mahomes most iconic plays of his career, two fourth down conversions, and the Chiefs topping Baltimore after an unforgettable back and forth between Mahomes and Lamar and a fourth down stand by our defense. Mahomes hitting that 48 yarder on 4th and 9 last year is arguably the most iconic play of Mahomes career. If the Chiefs don’t convert on that play, the Chiefs miss home field advantage in the playoffs. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and no one else in the NFL could make that play - and Mahomes made it.

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This play, in many ways, could be the spark that set the standard for this rivalry - and little did Chiefs fans know so early in the season that the stakes would ultimately be just as high in 2019. The Ravens came in being hyped as this year’s heir apparent to the AFC and Lamar the new star to challenge Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.kan...235250012.html

A fantastic article from The Undefeated chronicled the hype going into the matchup, capturing quotes like this:
“Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale said Sept. 19 before the game that it might be “the next Brady-Manning matchup, Ali-Frazier, Magic-Bird.” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu, only slightly more circumspect, told ESPN on Sept. 20 that Mahomes and Jackson were “generational talents” who “would be a matchup to watch for the next 15 years.”’

https://theundefeated.com/features/p...-quarterbacks/

Chiefs jumped ahead 30-13 after the third quarter and those opening quarters felt like a statement that when our offense was clicking with Mahomes, no one could compete against the Chiefs. The Ravens responded in the 4th quarter. A question coming into the game was if Lamar could lead drives with his arm if his team was back against a wall. Lamar Jackson responded by putting together dynamic plays to convert on multiple 4th downs in the 4th quarter. Lamar’s plays down the stretch got a lot of attention, as he weaved his way out of pressure and put up 50-50 balls that his receivers made fantastic plays on. In response, Mahomes engineered clutch drives at the end of the game to hold off the Ravens comeback. In the past Chiefs fans grew all too used to watching our former quarterbacks give the ball back with time left in the game. Giving the opponents just enough time to lose in a heartbreak - but this time, facing a 3rd and 9 and a first down away from victory, Mahomes sealed it against who would be the #1 seed in the AFC (with a play he lobbied for with Andy).

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Mahomes excellence shouldn’t diminish the Chiefs revamped defense’s role in this win, with a Frank Clark coming through with a huge sack against Lamar in the 4th to hold the Ravens to a field goal late and The Landlord being called the defensive player of the game by several analysts.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-h...st-Chiefs-sack

https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2019/...yer-on-defense

Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson bring a skill set that breaks all of the traditional norms of a Quarterback in the NFL. Mahomes was criticized going into the draft for lacking a consistent throwing motion and his unconventional footwork while Lamar was pushed to give up being a quarterback altogether. Watching Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson carry their phenomenal ability to the NFL and win the MVP awards has sent shockwaves through the league. These quarterbacks are shattering the traditional expectations of play and every down brings a new potential for them to do something unforgettable. Already, national writers are arguing that the question that carried the league for two decades (how do you stop Tom Brady and Patriots?) is starting to shift for NFL front offices around the league.

https://www.theringer.com/nfl-playof...l-comeback-god

Growing up in central Kansas, I never had access to watch the NBA and never developed an attachment to it - but I still grew up watching highlights in history from Larry Bird and Magic Johnson’s rivalry, or Wilt the Stilt squaring off against Bill Russell. In a similar vein as a non tennis fan I often find myself still watching Roger Federer square off against Rafael Nadal. Even as someone who often spent playoff time in a state of heartbreak due to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, I still made time to watch them meet on the playoff field every January. Watching rivalries like that also gives someone a timestamp in their life to look back on whenever they think about the game. Remembering these games also allows you to remember where you were in your life at that moment. Week 3 of this year was the first time my wife sat down to watch a Chiefs game with me (I sold her on the fact it’d be a big one), and it was where she started to really understand the game and my fandom. Later in the year she would be one of the people to convince me to take a spur of the moment trip with a couple of close friends to watch the Chiefs win their first ever AFC championship in Kansas City. It’s a big part as to why I will always look back fondly to the Chiefs Week 3 matchup with the Ravens.

With the last two games between the Chiefs and Ravens being absolute classics, I can only sit back and hope the rivalry between Mahomes and Lamar becomes a legendary one over the next decade. Next year, Kansas City travels to Baltimore, and we can only hope it becomes an epic third chapter of our next fabled rivalry between two transcendental athletes, which began with an overtime win in 2018 followed by the Week 3 win in 2019.

Caught the replay on NFLN yesterday and D-Rob stood out as making plays.

Sorry, but I don't want anyone to succeed but Mahomes and the Chiefs.

They can be a rival in the sense that they ****ing lose to us by 10 points everytime.

I do not wish Lamar ill or want him to be injured...but I do not want him or his team competitive against us either. **** that noise.

Mahomes to every "potential rival" QB he faces:

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Meh, I don't really want a rivalry. Don't get me wrong, lamar is really good. And the rivalry right now is pretty intriguing. The games are interesting because they're both exiting to watch. But I also hate that it leads to a ton of garbage overhype of a qb who isn't even close to the same level of mahomes. The qb matchups other than Brady I most want to see vs mahomes are in the nfc

^ I don’t disagree. What I’m rooting for is Mahomes to be the obvious winner in the rivalry but for a 10 year rivalry to exist and with that, Lamar being a successful QB in the league. For as many accolades the Brady v Manning rivalry has, does anyone want to guess Brady’s record against Manning before the 2015 season?



I think part of why the Brady-Manning rivalry is played up was because those 2 were the best of their era even though Brady/Patriots were the clear winners in the rivalry, especially with Tom taking 6 rings to Manning’s 2. While there was some debate when Manning retired about who had the better legacy between them - Brady has all but put that to rest after 28-3 and last season. This isn’t the only example of a rivalry having a clear winner. While Chamberlain vs Russell is often looked back on as a rivalry, but Russell had a 84-58 matchup advantage and eleven rings to Wilt’s two. Wilt had 13 all star games compared to Russell’s 12, but it’s clear who the star of their head to head matchups were - I’m hoping for something similar with Mahomes.

With Mahomes and Lamar, you have 2 athletes who bring completely transformative skill sets compared to Tom and Peyton. Mahomes and Lamar are breaking the traditional norms and I hope they have long careers with dynamic matchups between them, especially if they have some legendary rivalry games between them. With that said, I’d still love Patrick to end up with a 12-5 career record or some such against Lamar when all is said and done - and many Ravens fans are worried that if the games come down between their arms, Patrick will ultimately have that advantage. When Patrick and Lamar do hang it up, my hope is that even the Skippy Bayless’ of the world will have to admit that Patrick is the GOAT in a resigned fashion.

The matchup in Baltimore next year should be a lot of fun - especially with our ol’ pal Marcus Peters in the mix. I wonder if Patrick will let him try on his ring?

Pretty much this.

Mahomes will lose a couple of games here and there in his career. When he does, and it's to one of these media-anointed "rivals" we then have to deal with, "DERP OTHER QB WON THE GAME MAYBE HE'S BETTER HERP DERP"

I want Mahomes to piss-pound Watson every time they face off. I want Jackson's career winning percentage against Mahomes to resemble Jon Gruden's against Mahomes.

Zero doubts in ANYONE'S mind who the real best QB in the NFL is.

I do not see jackson being long term. He will get blasted in the chest or turn into Kaeperloser. It will be a fast fall from grace.

A predicate the time you put into this — but too many words. That game was over by the end of the third quarter and if not for two miracle heaves by Lamar it would have been much worse.

That’s why I feel pretty confident that the Ravens won’t be able to do anything resembling what they did last season. It was like that season the Broncos went to the playoffs with Tebow. Literally everything kept breaking their way over and over and over. The Ravens are good and Lamar has an interesting game, but he can’t bring his team back when they get down.

Yeah, much as I want mahomes to dominate, I also know that a true rivalry is good for his legacy. I just want it to be with a legitimately great qb. It's a shame Russell is in the other conference and Rodgers is getting too old, because those are rivalries I want to see. Chiefs vs ravens is a great rivalry to want. Mahomes and lamar, to me, is overhype. Maybe great for the game but it's one that hurts mahomes legacy because it brings him down to a level he is clearly better than.

I also think teams walked into this year trying to adjust to mahomes breaking the game. Offenses were dominating with wide open passing games so defenses loaded up on speed to beat speed. This season, we saw a lot of offenses exploit that by running down everyone's throats.

Have a feeling you'll see defenses next year really focus on stopping the run.

TLDR I like the Ravens’ tight ends.

Mahomes rival is Watson, not Lamar imo.

Possibly. At the moment I have zero faith in Big Brain O’ Brian. It is quite possible I’ll put equally wordy analysis up of the two matchups we’ve had with the Texans in 2019 (I’ve thought about it a bit already so I apologize in advance).

I loved that highlight video. Mahomes is just so damn good!

Yup, I thought he would rise to the occasion as time passed but he seemed to have a lot of drops and not as big a threat as I thought. He did have nice TD in one of the late season games but he was horrible in the playoffs for the most part, having like 3 drops against the Texans I think. :doh!:

I don't really understand the hype around Watson. Less athletic than lamar by a lot, less effective than mahomes as a passer by a lot. He's very good but not great.

Some of these young guys could have a shot. Burrow and Trevor Lawrence have potential to be really good in the NFL. The NFL is probably praying the Bengals are stupid enough to pass on burrow.

Burrow and Lawrence absolutely have a shot too - but they are likely to not be landing in a situation like Mahomes did

Part of the problem the NFL faced (and why it took so long for QB’s to emerge after the Manning/Brady/Rodgers/Brees) class, is that so many promising QB’s would end up with incompetent GM’s and ass tastic lines. Lamar and Mahomes ended up on loaded rosters which ended up being critical to their early success. Watson did to an extent, but a lot of Texans fans are worried about the hits he’s already taken behind his previous toilet paper like lines. The situation Lawrence and Burrow get drafted into is going to be critical. Tank for Trevor is def going to be a thing next year, right?

Lamar was 9% on TD's in 2019. Mahomes was lower than this in 2018 for his 50 TD season. It's going to be interesting to see the regression for Lamar (on the stat sheet). The numbers he put up in 2019 are not sustainable.

Sum that shit up dude...

Here ya are!

Dude, some websites like SB nation will post "Fanshots" (articles written by fans). You should submit it to something like Arrowhead Addict.

Nah. The only dude who is even remotely close to being Mahomes' rival is Brady, and he's on his way out. Lamar has yet to win a single playoff game, and Watson hasn't been much better. Pat is already a champion. Those two ain't shit.

Russell Wilson

That would be an amazing rivalry but can't happen with them being in separate conferences. I do believe that Wilson is the only QB in the league who could consistenly compete with Pat in shootouts.

Yeah, it's not a rivalry but I think those are clearly the 2 best prime age QB's in football right now. They are the only two guys where you say "worth every penny" on their high dollar contract. It would be pretty cool if we can get a Super Bowl matchup with them.

I loved hearing about this interaction between Mahomes and Wilson at the end of our game in Seattle last year. The interaction seemed to mean a lot to Mahomes. Wilson stayed on the field with Patrick well after the game ended and since has been Mahomes biggest fan on twitter (and throughout this season’s playoffs).

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dkub1M3vCRc/maxresdefault.jpg

Mayfield and Darnold could still emerge with better coaching around them.

As a football fan, I agree on the lamar/mahomes rivalry being great for the sport. As a chiefs fan, I hope it's just the mahomes show. **** everyone else

But excellent write up btw!

Poor DeShaun Watson. If Patrick Mahomes didn’t exist, he’d be with Andy Reid having a chance to rule the AFC. Even if Pat went to his 2nd most logical place that would have picked him (Saints), he would have been in this conference with Lamar and a big gap below that.

Instead he’s in Houston with a seriously ****ed up management team that will hold him back as long as he’s there.

To me, I think Jackson and Watson are the current top contenders for true rivals for Mahomes. They’re in the AFC, on playoff teams, etc. But I can’t see Jackson progressing enough to REALLY make it a compelling rivalry. He has to win one at some point, and I don’t think it’s happening this year, either.

If I’m the Ravens, I’m drafting pass rushers and outside WR. Brown is a playmaker but they need more guys who can run 9 and deep post routes.

If teams are going to play Jackson to force throws outside the middle of the field, the Ravens need to counter with speedy receivers who can make people pay for leaving minimal deep passing coverage. Guys with big catch radii also help.

Of course, that makes it tough for the Ravens to also play 3 TE sets.

I think the best bets for a real rivalry aren’t playing in the NFL yet. Tua Tagavaloa has a shot, though I don’t love him. Burrow will have a shot. But I think the NFL’s dream would be for the Raiders to somehow be bad enough to have #1 and land Trevor Lawrence.

Seems he doesn’t care. Just wants the money. His agent has already leaked that they will demand more from Houston than what Mahomes is able to get in KC. Houston seems like a flawed team even with Watson’s rookie discount. It won’t get easier for them after he gets top dollar.

I liked it. Nice breakdown.:thumb:

Part of why I want the Ravens to succeed (though not on the level of the Chiefs, of course), has been from my interactions with the Ravens fan base in different pockets of the Internet. It was amazing to watch their subreddit legitimately celebrate Mahomes and Andy’s victories (as well as Suggs) and then immediately acknowledge how their roster needs work if they’re going to compete with Mahomes. Pass rushers and WR was at the top of their list. Here’s some screenshots I pulled recently (for some reason I’ve enjoyed reading other fan reactions to our SB win). The fanbase even rightfully concluded Mahomes was the true SB MVP over Williams.

If the Jets brass are a bit less reeruned next offseason they will dump Gase into the sewer and hire Bieniemy. Same exact thing can be said for the Texans as well.

By all accounts, the Texans have locked themselves up with Big Brain O’ B indefinitely. They’ve traded a ton of draft capital and Watson (from all accounts) wants Mahomes money. With the holes they have on both sides of their roster they have a steep climb to stay elite.

My guess is that they’ll hang around 9-7/10-6 purgatory for a while and hope Watson can be good enough to make plays happen despite his line and lead them on a playoff run. So far they’ve always been left hoping the chips could fall just right for them to go on a run - a feeling we knew all too well before the Mahomes era.