Lamar Jackson says ‘I hate playing against Patrick Mahomes’

Lamar Jackson spoke at the 101 Awards in Kansas City on Saturday and admitted he hates playing against Patrick Mahomes.

NFL fans have it oh so good these days. Football is at its most entertaining when the performances are riveting, the comebacks are aplenty, and the rivalries are strong. Much of this is dependent upon solid quarterback play, and the NFL has plenty of bright young quarterbacks to speak of these days.

Two of the brightest young talents at any position have been named Most Valuable Player in consecutive seasons: Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Lamar Jackson, quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. The Chiefs and Ravens have played each other twice since both were named quarterback, and while the Chiefs have won both times, no one would ever suggest the Ravens weren’t an intimidating opponent in ’19 and beyond.

Apparently Lamar Jackson feels the same way about playing against Mahomes.

On Saturday night, many of the NFL’s best gathered in Kansas City for the annual 101 Awards, from Andy Reid to Kyle Shanahan and Jackson to Mahomes. The night features 101 sportswriters who vote on various awards for the NFL to honor the season’s biggest accomplishments. Proceeds from the night go to the University of Kansas hospital.

During the evening, various players and coaches give speeches after winning awards and Jackson made mention of Mahomes, and the frustration in having to play him, in a great line that made the crowd laugh.

Jackson won the AFC Offensive Player of the Year and made mention of Mahomes asking, “Did I look like Lamar?”

You can hear the rest in the video below:

In case the video isn’t clear, you can read the full quote: “…coming from him, I like that, because that’s a great quarterback. I hate playing against him, to be honest, and I’m not even on defense. He’s gonna keep scoring and I’m like, ‘Now we gotta go score.’ It’s gonna be a great game for the fans, but we hate it.”

There’s little doubt that both sides likely feel the same way when seeing each other on the schedule. The Ravens present a real issue for any defense going up against them, and the Chiefs just won the first of what are hopefully multiple Super Bowl titles during Mahomes’ career with the team.

While they might hate it, the NFL is certainly very fortunate to have such blossoming rivalries in play. It seems that Jackson and Mahomes might go down as the next great QB rivalry, mirroring the tension and drama of the best in NFL history.