Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are the two electrifying and polarizing athletes of the modern era. Both are relatively young and has taken the NFL by storm.
So, the posing questions is, who is better? Do you want Patrick Mahomes under center for a potential game winning drive. Or, would you like to see Lamar Jackson take you 60-80 yards for the game winner. It’s a great debate. You can’t go wrong with either option. For this issue we break down posing arguments for both former NFL MVPs.
Patrick Mahomes
Taking in the first round (10th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft, Mahomes was a backup during his rookie career. He sat behind veteran Alex Smith (former first overall). There, he learned valuable information that he would later use in his sophomore season. Mahomes started is second season and flourished. He end up winning the NFL MVP award while taking the Chiefs to the playoffs. In his second season he amassed 5,097 passing yards and 50 touchdowns. He torched opponents on a weekly basis with back shoulder, acrobatic passes and timely scrambles, catapulting him as the new face of the NFL. His work improved for
In 2019, Mahomes injured his foot during the first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and dislocated his knee verses the Denver Broncos. Although he missed a few games due to injury, he still managed to put up 4031 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. If he had have stayed healthy the whole season, who would have been in talks for back-to-back MVPs. He did win a MVP; the Super Bowl MVP. He took the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs and a come-from-behind win over the highly touted San Francisco 49ers. His gutty clutch performance in wins during the regular season and playoffs has football critics naming him one of the best overall football players in the NFL. That’s not bad for a player many thought was taking too high in the NFL draft.
When the game is on the line, do you want Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback?
Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson destroyed defenses in college which is why he was selected 32 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. The former Heisman Trophy winner (2016) was widely known as the second coming of Michael Vick with blazing speed and arm strength. With being known for his speed, Jackson declined to run during the NFL Combine as many analysts express that he would better suited as a wide receiver in the NFL. Jackson wanted to prove them wrong as he wanted to play in the NFL at the same position he played in college, quarterback.
When drafted, Jackson rode the bench behind former NFL champion, Joe Flacco. He did get playing time during midseason of the 2018 NFL season. There, he flourished and took the Ravens back to the NFL Playoffs. During that playoff run in the regular season, Jackson flashed his speed and arm talent. He made good progression throws and timely run that kept defenses off balance. The Ravens literally road his legs to the playoffs while showcasing Lamar Jackson’s diverse talents. They did loose in the first round to the Chargers. During that lost Jackson vowed that he will improve his passing game in the next regular season. He did.
During the opener of the 2019 regular season, Jackson hit rookie wide receiver TBD Brown for a 50+ yard touchdown pass. That play pretty much set the tone for Jackson for the entire seasons. Action Jackson DOMINATED the league during his full season as a starter. He threw for over 3,000 yards with 36 touchdowns. That’s not bad for a quarterback who many believe could not play the position. Jackson also added 1,206 rushing yards where he completely scorched the league. I still remember that run play against the Bengals were he ran through the entire defense on his way to the end-zone.
The Ravens built there team around the young phenom and it paid off. Last year, Jackson hoisted up the NFL MVP trophy while showing the league he’s a dual threat that will continue to give opposing defenses nightmares. His league MVP as a quarterback is validation that he might the right decision to enter the NFL as a quarterback. What will he do as he enters the 2020 NFL Season?
When the game is on the line, do you want Lamar Jackson as your quarterback?
Ironically, both men are on the cover of EA’s Madden franchise. Mahomes graced the cover for the 2019 campaign and Jackson is on this year’s cover. We can’t wait to see what they do on the field this year.
Images by Getty Image
