Mahomes vs. Jackson: A 'Hope to God' Formula for Chiefs and Ravens in AFC Championship?
"Hope to God'' doesn't sound like much of a plan. But on Sunday afternoon, when the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens face off in the AFC Championship, one astute former NFL player sees a vision on how to deal with the two star quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
During an appearance on Up & Adams Thursday, former NFL offensive lineman Taylor Lewan identified a "formula" for stopping Lamar Jackson.
Mahomes vs. Lamar
"The Ravens are an incredible team, but there is a formula for beating Lamar,'' Lewan said. "It's making him go east and west, and make him throw the football.''
This sounds not dissimilar to what Bill Polian said this week (and seven years ago) about "stopping Lamar.'' (See below.)
And it sounds like a sort of insult to the likely MVP, especially when Lewan makes the comparison to Mahomes.
"With (Mahomes) it's kinda like, you plaster guys and keep dudes in coverage and hope to God you get to him with three or four (rushers)," Lewan said. "It's very difficult playing him.''
Again, with all due respect and deference to somebody who actually played the game and at a high level as Lewan did for so many years with the Titans: If it's so clear and easy to "neutralize" Jackson ... why didn't anyone do it on the way to the Baltimore quarterback leading the Ravens to the No. 1 seed?
Nevertheless, Lewan is sticking to his guns in previewing Sunday's AFC Championship matchup, which will kickoff at 3 p.m. ET in Baltimore.
"If you have the right athletes, which Kansas City might,'' Lewan insisted, "you could neutralize Lamar Jackson."
