For decades, the NFL battle between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning was seen as a league gold standard that would be difficult to match for generations.
That was, of course, until a few quarterbacks came along and have shattered the mold in recent years. In Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, the league could have its new top rivalry for years to come. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press even goes so far as to say it could become this generation’s Brady vs. Manning.
Mahomes has made back to back AFC Championship game appearances, while Jackson has been knocked out of the playoffs the last pair of seasons. Mahomes won last year’s MVP award, and Jackson could very likely be on track to do the same this season. Both play a different game than Brady and Manning, which could only figure to shake things up further for the league in terms of style and competition.
All of that could set up a fantastic rivalry for football fans for a long time. But the duo better start to win Super Bowls in order to reach what Brady and Manning had head to head for years.
Shannon Sharpe Weighs in on Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson
Never afraid to share his opinion, Shannon Sharpe of Fox Sports hopped on Twitter during the playoff frenzy over one weekend, which saw the Ravens eliminated following a frustrating performance and saw the Kansas City Chiefs move on following a great day from Patrick Mahomes and provided his take.
As Sharpe said, even though Jackson had a great 2019 season and looks poised to take home the MVP award that he earned, he’s still taking Mahomes over Jackson as the best quarterback in football.
Mahomes has certainly been great early in his career, and so has Jackson. The duo has similar styles, so it’s hard to say which is truly the best at this point in time. Sharpe himself thinks it’s Mahomes at this point.
Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes
Though the duo did not meet up in the 2020 playoffs and haven’t dueled there as of yet, it will not be a stretch to see them battle into the next decade as the next “it” rivalry at quarterback in the NFL. Mahomes, just a few years into his career, has burst on the scene with an MVP award, All-Pro honors and has been to a pair of Pro Bowls. Jackson is set to do the same after his work this season.
Head to head, the Chiefs have beaten the Ravens two straight games dating back to 2018. Jackson hasn’t yet managed to get over the hump with a win against his biggest rival. Until he does, it’s fair for some to keep him behind Mahomes in terms of the best in the NFL.
Stay tuned in the future, of course, to see where the argument goes in the coming years. Many see this as the new big rivalry in football for a long time.
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Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes Called New Brady-Manning Rivalry