Ravens DC Says Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes Like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning

Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Don Martindale believes Sunday's matchup between Lamar Jackson and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could just be an early chapter in a budding rivalry, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley:

"Just as an NFL fan, as a fantasy owner, if you will, the NFL is in good hands with these young quarterbacks. And I think you're going to see two great quarterbacks in this game. We might be seeing the next [Tom] Brady-[Peyton] Manning matchup, [Muhammad] Ali-[Joe] Frazier, Magic [Johnson]-[Larry] Bird. You don't know, but the excitement of it [is undeniable]."

Based on how the two young signal-callers have started their careers, that could be the case.

Mahomes, the 10th pick in 2017, spent his rookie season on the bench behind veteran Alex Smith. Kansas City handed him the reins last year, and the results were spectacular.

He became just the second player in league history to pass for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in a season, and he led the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game. This year, the reigning MVP has completed 71.4 percent of his passes for an NFL-best 821 yards and seven touchdowns through two games.

Meanwhile, Jackson, the 32nd pick in 2018, took over a 4-5 Baltimore squad last year and went 6-1 while starting in place of Joe Flacco. That late-season surge propelled the Ravens to the AFC North crown.

Jackson has spent the early portion of the 2019 campaign silencing those who have doubted his throwing abilities. He has completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 596 yards and seven touchdowns, adding 126 rushing yards.

At least through the first two weeks, Mahomes and Jackson are among the front-runners for MVP. They also have their teams among the early contenders, as the Ravens and Chiefs are 2-0.

Though Sunday's tilt is being billed as Jackson vs. Mahomes, Jackson isn't getting caught up in the hype, per Hensley: "It's Ravens vs. Chiefs. I don't really look at it like I'm competing against him. I'm competing against his defense, if anything. I depend on my defense to do a great job of stopping him, and my job is to score points. That's what I'm going to do."

This will mark the second time Jackson and Mahomes go head-to-head in the NFL. Mahomes and the Chiefs got the better of Jackson and the Ravens in Week 14 last season with a 27-24 overtime victory. Mahomes threw for 377 yards and two touchdowns, while Jackson piled up 147 passing yards, 67 rushing yards and two passing touchdowns.