Ravens can't help but give props to 'extremely elite' Mahomes originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Since Lamar Jackson took over as the Ravens' starting quarterback, Baltimore is 21-1 in the regular season when playing teams not named the Chiefs.
Jackson is 0-3 against Kansas City and a major reason for that, of course, is Patrick Mahomes. After the reigning Super Bowl MVP hung 385 passing yards and five total touchdowns in a 34-20 Monday Night Football the reigning league MVP only had one word to describe how Mahomes played.
"Outstanding," Jackson said.
Mahomes simply sets a pace that's nearly impossible to keep up with. It doesn't matter which defense he goes up against or which offensive weapons he has available to him. The man puts up points, and if you can't keep up, you aren't going home with a win.
"Obviously he is an extremely elite QB," Jimmy Smith said. He has phenomenal command of that offense the way that whole team executes. Gets the ball in tight pockets."
Jackson and the Ravens offense certainly left something to be desired after mustering up one offensive touchdown. They're used to putting up comparable numbers to Kansas City's potent attack but the Chiefs' defense did a great job of preventing those explosive runs that open up the passing game for Jackson.
In the grand scheme though, it's Baltimore's defense that has the most to learn after Monday night's loss. The good news is it's early and they'll have plenty of time to figure things out before potentially seeing this team again in the postseason.
"He has incredible timing," Harbaugh said. "I know who we are and what we’re capable of and they were able to come out and do some great things against us. I'm looking forward to learning from this."
The Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations not just for this season but for years to come. With the Patriots seemingly out of the picture, the Chiefs are the new power in the AFC. If you want the crown, you have to go through them, and the Ravens have yet to crack that code three meetings into the Jackson-Mahomes rivalry.
