Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson will square off against each other in the AFC Championship game - and both have made it clear how highly they rate one another ahead of their huge showdown.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Mahomes has showered praise on Jackson, labelling him as the clear NFL MVP. But despite these kudos, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback is acutely aware of the imminent threat in Sunday's match.
The winner of this Sunday night's match between top-seeded Ravens and Chiefs will head to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. It's a run to the finish line, with Jackson about to play his first AFC Championship, while it's a familiar turf for Mahomes.
Mahomes spoke up Jackson's formidable season during a Wednesday press conference, highlighting the "challenge" that lies ahead given the Raven's current form. But Jackson was forthright in his response, expressing his quandary in playing against Mahomes.
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"I don't like competing against him at all," disclosed Jackson about Mahomes. "He's definitely a great QB. Definitely a Hall of Famer. That's a no-brainer." However, he acknowledged the dangers both Mahomes and the Chiefs pose to the Ravens, asserting: "To be a champion, you gotta go through a champion."
Jackson last won the MVP award in 2019 when the Ravens went 13-2, but they lost in the Divisional Round against the Tennessee Titans by a devastating 28-12 scoreline that year after receiving a bye into the second round of the playoffs. He is expected to join Mahomes as a two-time MVP, and the Chiefs quarterback believes he has become the complete player.
"He's gonna be the MVP for a reason. He goes out there, he leads his team, he scores, he runs, he throws, he does whatever it takes to win and that's what the greats do," Mahomes said.
Patrick Mahomes thinks Lamar Jackson fully deserves to be NFL MVP for 2023 (No credit)"It'll be a great challenge for our defence, but also a great challenge for our offence against their defence. It's going to take a full team effort if we are going to find a way to get a win."
Mahomes then commented on Jackson's improvement and admitted he expects to face him consistently from this moment on.
"I think the biggest thing that you like to see in other quarterbacks is how they improve every single year. Everybody talked about his running, but everybody can see how he's improved as a passer, throwing from within the pocket, arm angles, accurate throws in big situations and big moments. That's what the great quarterbacks do."
"He continues to get better and better every single year, so I knew we were going to play in a lot of games like this as our careers have gone on. This will be the first of many."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to webhomepage@mirror.co.uk
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