Former NFL safety Ryan Clark made a comparison between Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson and Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook.
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“Lamar Jackson, right now, is like Russell Westbrook, right?” Clark said. “We watch Russell Westbrook throughout the regular season — and even in the playoffs — have these great statistical games, have this huge impact on what teams are doing. But you remember when he and Dame Lillard (Damian Lillard) went head to head, and it got emotional. He couldn’t make a shot, right? Everything he was tryna aim — every time he was open, it was hittin’ the back of the iron. It wouldn’t go in, and what did Dame Lillard do? At the end of the game, Dame Lillard side step, shot the 3, and he hit us with the [wave]. That’s the difference right now between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.”
The playoff series that Clark referenced occurred between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Lillard’s Trail Blazers came out on top against Westbrook’s Thunder in five games, and Lillard sent the Thunder home with a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 5 of the series.
The Chiefs and Ravens faced off to mark the beginning of the 2024 NFL regular season, and the former won the game by a score of 27-20.
Jackson may have been on the losing end of Thursday’s matchup, but it’s debatable as to whether he or Mahomes had the better game. Mahomes was more efficient with his passes, as he converted 20 of his 28 attempts and finished with 291 passing yards along with one passing touchdown.
But Jackson finished with nearly the same amount of passing yards at 273, and on top of that, he didn’t throw a single interception.
Thursday wasn’t the only time that Mahomes’ Chiefs got the better of Jackson’s Ravens.
In last season’s AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs won that game by seven points as well, and Mahomes starred when the lights were bright. He threw for 241 yards and one touchdown while failing to register a single interception.
Unfortunately for fans of the Ravens, the team won’t be able to get revenge against the Chiefs anytime soon. The two teams won’t face off again for the remainder of the 2024 regular season, though there’s always a possibility that they could meet in the playoffs again.
Jackson and the Ravens will try to pick up their first win of the new season when they take on a fellow AFC team in the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 15. The Raiders are fresh off a forgettable 2023 campaign, as the team won only eight of its 17 regular-season contests and failed to make the playoffs.
