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

[Chiefspants]

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..



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

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.



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).



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.

[Oh Snap]

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!

[RunKC]

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.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Oh Snap

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!

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.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by RunKC

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.

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.

[BigRedChief]

I liked it. Nice breakdown.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

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.

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.

[bowener]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

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

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.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by bowener

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.