Lamar Jackson Re-Writes His Story Today
The day has finally come. We've dreamt of this day for years. We've watched with envy as others have hosted the AFC's biggest football game despite countless opportunities to earn it ourselves.
That hits even closer to home for Lamar Jackson and this Ravens team, as the disappointment of 2019 played a part in enabling Patrick Mahomes to build his kingdom. Credit to him, it's been a helluva run.
But it ends today. These franchises are headed in two different directions. Granted... I'm not enough of a moron to believe that Mahomes and the Chiefs are going anywhere, win or lose today. But fact of the matter is, this is one of his worst football teams, and things aren't necessarily trending in the right direction for them. His best offensive weapon is on the decline with rumors of this being his last year so that he can settle down with literally the most famous person on planet earth, and there are even murmurs that Andy Reid could be hanging them up. They'll be good, but their stranglehold on the AFC is very much at cliffs' edge right now.
The Ravens are set up for long-term success. Sure, they've got plenty of offseason questions on the horizon, but Lamar is only 27 and the two biggest stars of their dominant defense (Roquan and Hamilton) are somehow only 26 and 22 too. All are locked up for years to come. Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely are each here for a good while too, and Zay Flowers is just getting started. This has been a long time coming and a much slower burn for Lamar than Mahomes... but it's Lamar's time and he's going to prove it today.
I look up and down the rosters of these two teams and struggle to see where KC has an edge. The Chiefs interior OL is one of their biggest strengths... but Joe Thuney is out. This is the Chiefs best defensive unit of the Mahomes era.... yet their most effective weapon in the middle of the defense with the speed to spy Lamar and chase him sideline to sideline (Willie Gay) is banged up and barely practiced this week. He may not even play. Those are two big areas where KC could've helped bridge the talent gap between these two teams.
Of course... the biggest mitigating factor is the magic and brilliance of Mahomes himself. No need to explain the track record there, especially in the postseason. This game might be the biggest challenge of his still relatively young career. Super Bowl LV against Tom Brady was an uphill battle where the Bucs didn't give him an inch to breathe. I expect the same from this Ravens defense, except this time Patty doesn't have the benefit of a neutral site stadium. The Bank will be out for blood today, myself included.
Naturally our biggest fear is quite simple. A one-score game where Mahomes has the ball last. That's the nightmare scenario. It's honestly tough to envision the Chiefs winning a game any other way, and I think getting the game to that point will be their objective. Expect the Ravens to come out firing in an effort to build a lead and stack on that lead.
All I know is that this is it for Lamar. He will get no better opportunity to flip a career-long narrative that he can't get it done in the postseason. Last week was a nice step forward, but this is the quantum leap we've all been dreaming of.
Let's get it done Lamar. Let's go to a fucking Super Bowl.
OFFICIAL PREDICTION: Ravens win 27-17