Lamar Jackson still searching for answers to his Patrick Mahomes problem

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's still not a rivalry.

Patrick Mahomes is now 5-1 against Lamar Jackson. That's a lopsided matchup if I've ever seen one. 

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens, 27-20, at Arrowhead Stadium to open the 2024 NFL season on Thursday night. I know it's a team game. But it's also a quarterback's game. Every one of these matchups between the Chiefs and Ravens has been a must-see game. It has a playoff atmosphere. 

The three-time champion Mahomes shows up in these moments. Jackson — well, he's not getting it done. He still has yet to prove himself on the biggest stages.

In the final moments Thursday, Jackson had three consecutive incompletions in the end zone. Any one of them could've given the Ravens the chance to tie or win the game. First, he overthrew an open Isaiah Likely. (Given the misfire, it's worth wondering whether the Ravens should have spiked the ball to stop the clock and settle his offense.) Then, he went wide on a wide-open Zay Flowers. Then he threw too high for Likely. The third attempt was just too high, pulling the tight end to the back of the end zone. Likely attempted a toe-tap — but his right toe landed an inch out of bounds.

"I thought he was in," Jackson said postgame. "I still think he was in."

He wasn't. The eye in the sky don't lie.

If Jackson is going to be an all-time great, he needs to make one of those throws. It's that simple. 

If Jackson is going to lead the Ravens past the Chiefs and to a Super Bowl, the superstar quarterback can't lead just two touchdown drives when throwing for 273 yards and rushing for 122 yards. If there's one thing we now know about beating Mahomes from his matchups against Jackson, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy, it's that 59