FINAL THOUGHTS:
The AFC is going to be fascinating for years to come. It is no longer a question of Roethlisberger, Brady or Manning. The question is now Mahomes, Watson or Jackson. The traditional “pocket passer” is not as relevant as it once was. There is no question that the old quarterback class was incredible, but it is time to re-imagine what quarterback play should look like. This group may be just as exciting as Manning vs Brady vs Roethlisberger ever was.
Deshaun Watson has carried the Texans and with any luck, he may find himself winning the MVP in a couple of years. That being said, I think he is the Roethlisberger of this group. That’s not to say that he and Ben Roethlisberger play similarly in any way. It is to say that he is always a challenger, but not necessarily the consistent favorite the same way that Brady and Manning were. Watson is an incredible talent and will always be a competitor when it comes to the regular season and beyond.
Lamar Jackson is new. The only comparison for him is Michael Vick and even that isn’t very close. Vick had a strong arm, but his accuracy is nowhere near Jackson’s. To me, Jackson is more of a wild card than anything else. While Brady won more games against Manning, it is difficult to tell which way the Jackson vs Mahomes storyline will go. However, Mahomes is 2-0 against Jackson in the early part of the matchup. For that, we will say that Jackson is the Manning of the bunch. He will make miraculous plays, but beating Mahomes will be an uphill battle for him.
Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent. What is fascinating about that is that Mahomes also seems to have more talent around him than Jackson or Watson. Thus, Mahomes may be the Brady of this bunch. I expect Mahomes and Reid to get the best of the other two the majority of the time and the Chiefs to be in the mix for a Super Bowl run as long as he’s at the helm.