By Amy Tennery
(Reuters) – The stage is set for a clash of the MVP quarterbacks on National Football League’s (NFL) Monday Night Football, as the Kansas City Chiefs head on the road to face the Baltimore Ravens in the Week 3 primetime showdown.
The Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and the NFL’s reigning MVP Lamar Jackson of the Ravens represent the league’s fiercest rivalry in the making, as the leading figures in a growing cohort of young quarterback talent.
“He’s a great player. He can make all the throws, he can run with the ball, he can really do it all,” Mahomes, 25, told reporters when asked about Jackson.
Each player is fresh off a career-defining season.
Mahomes signed a record-busting 10-year contract extension with Kansas City in July after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy while Jackson became unanimous MVP as the first quarterback to throw more than 30 touchdowns and run for more than a 1,000 yards in a single season.
The pair last met in Week 3 last season, as the Chiefs defeated the Ravens 33-28 at home, handing Jackson the first of two regular-season losses.
But Jackson, 23, told reporters he was keeping focus on his job, no matter the hype that comes with the blockbuster matchup.
“I’ve gotta focus on their defense, I’ve gotta focus on scoring, I’ve gotta focus on my job and making my offense, you know, do our thing,” he said.
“Our defense gotta worry about him.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery,; Editing by Toby Davis and Ed Osmond)