The 2024 NFL season is still months away from us, but all 32 teams across the league already know the full schedule. And Week 1 will bring us an exciting matchup between Lamar Jackson against Patrick Mahomes as the Baltimore Ravens play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead on September 5.
This meeting will certainly draw a lot of attention that week, but it is already giving a lot to talk about months before the kick-off. The Ravens quarterback, however, is not that hyped about this fixture.
“I really don’t care who we play; it really didn’t matter,” Jackson said at a press conference, via Pro Football Talk. “At the end of the day, our goal is to make it to the Super Bowl.”
Fans will definitely be looking forward to this matchup considering the recent history between these teams, with the Chiefs beating the Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game in January. Jackson, meanwhile, understands this will not be an opportunity of revenge as winning in the playoffs is what matters.
“We lost to them in the playoffs. Just us beating them in the regular season doesn’t really do anything,” Jackson said. “It just helps us keep stacking up wins to hopefully make it to the playoffs if anything to try to get in that same position again and hopefully be successful. It really doesn’t matter who we play [in the] first game; obviously it’s the Chiefs, but I really didn’t care.”
Mahomes’ Chiefs reflect what Jackson’s Ravens want to get
Jackson has a fair point, as the Chiefs are exactly the Ravens have been trying to be in the last few years. While Kansas City has found ways to succeed consistently, Baltimore has yet to translate its talent into championships.
Mahomes has been just as impressive as ruthless when it mattered the most, while Jackson has struggled to carry his MVP-level regular season performances into the playoffs.
2023 seemed to be the year Lamar would finally lead the Ravens to the promised land, so it was only logical that Patrick and company were the ones to stand in their way.
The new season will test the Ravens’ title aspirations from the get-go, with the responsibles for their last playoff frustration on the other side in the very first week. The result will probably say a lot about Baltimore’s potential, but as Jackson said, it won’t be definitive at all.