One MVP has dominated this matchup over the other

The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs want nothing more than to successfully defend their AFC crown and return to the biggest game in pro football for the fourth time in five years — but they face a huge obstacle on Sunday in the form of the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens, who have home-field advantage at M&T Bank Stadium.

The game will be a showdown between two MVP award-winning quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. On Wednesday, Jackson spoke to the media about the impending matchup — and he made a stunning revelation about what it’s like to face Mahomes.

Brittany and Jackson Mahomes soak in boos from Bills fans with joyJackson: I don’t like competing against Mahomes

It was said with more than a tinge of humor, but Jackson on Wednesday admitted it: he does not like competing against Mahomes and the Chiefs.

“I don’t like competing against him at all, but he’s a great quarterback, a definite Hall of Famer,” Jackson said.

Maybe Jackson’s reluctance, even if humorous in nature, is understandable — he has lost three of his four career meetings with Mahomes, completing just 56 percent of his pass attempts and recording seven total touchdowns. Mahomes, meanwhile, has a completion rate of over 70 percent against the Ravens and has accounted for 13 total touchdowns in those four meetings.

But the stats and the previous meetings have not dented Jackson’s overall confidence in his team, which is seeking to win the conference championship for the first time since the 2012 season.

“I believe (this game) is just two up-and-coming greats going toe-to-toe,” Jackson said.

Ravens’ D is confident of stopping Mahomes

Baltimore linebacker Roquan Smith also spoke with the media on Wednesday. His side of the ball has a tremendous task ahead of it — slowing down a Chiefs offense that averaged 7.7 yards per play in the divisional round against the Buffalo Bills. But Smith, the anchor of the NFL‘s #1 scoring defense during the regular season, thinks the Ravens will have the edge on Sunday.

Kansas City finished right behind Baltimore as the NFL’s #2 scoring defense during the season, and whichever superstar quarterback is able to lead their offense down the field with more consistency will likely emerge as the winning signal-caller in this fascinating AFC title matchup.