Tom Brady has not been one to shy away from sharing his views on football ever since retiring. As the regular season opener between Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Lamar Jackson‘s Baltimore Ravens approaches, the retired quarterback made a bold statement regarding the latter’s chances to contend.
Despite an outstanding MVP season in which Jackson helped the Ravens finish as the top seed in the AFC, their run was cut short by Mahomes and the Chiefs. This offseason, Baltimore added Derrick Henry to an already star-studded backfield and is seen by many experts as the biggest threat to Kansas’ supremacy.
Brady begs to differ though, with the 7x Super Bowl champ sharing his doubts about the Ravens during an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Despite Baltimore’s feared defense, reknowned head-coaching and its two-time MVP quarterback, Brady has yet to buy into their hype. He states there is one key element missing.
“I think it’s still the Bills or the Bengals,” Brady said regarding the biggest threats to Mahomes’ Chiefs reign in the AFC. Asked by Smith on whether Jackson and the Ravens deserve a spot in that conversation, Brady explained: “They’re right up there. But I would say… the Ravens have to be more successful in the postseason for me to feel like ‘okay, they’re right there.’”
Are Joe Burrow, Josh Allen in a position to dethrone Mahomes’ Chiefs?
Ever since his debut season in 2018, Patrick Mahomes has never missed an AFC Championship game. He lost twice in that round and the only two quarterbacks who hold that honor over Mahomes´ head are Tom Brady and Joe Burrow.
Burrow’s Bengals are coming off a frustrating season filled with injuries. Back healthy and with a contract extension on the horizon for star wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, hope is sky-high for fans of the organization. And apparently even Brady is amongst the hopeful.
On the other hand, the Buffalo Bills are not the clear-cut candidates they previously were. Stefon Diggs was traded during the offseason and the defense suffered heavy injuries, yet Brady is not sleeping on their franchise quarterback, Josh Allen.
Jackson’s Ravens to get rematch vs Mahomes’ Chiefs in 2024 NFL kick-off
It was a long offseason for Lamar and company after their heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs on the AFC Championship game. Luckily for them, the Ravens may get their payback when visiting Arrowhead on Thursday, September 5. As a new season gets underway and the Chiefs unveil their new Super Bowl banner, Jackson’s Ravens will look to silence the critics and kickstart their campaign in assertive fashion.