Patrick Mahomes, the current great emblem of the American Football League (NFL), and Lamar Jackson, favorite for the MVP award, will collide for the first time in the playoffs this afternoon in the duel between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens (at 5:00 p.m. Argentine time , broadcasts ESPN) for a ticket to the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs, current champions, will visit the Ravens' field in the final of the
American
Conference
, while tonight the
San Francisco 49ers
and the
Detroit Lions
will play the final of the National League (8:30 p.m. Argentine time, ESPN broadcasts).
The two winning teams will star in the 58th Super Bowl on February 11 in Las Vegas (Nevada).
In the capital of the game, the Chiefs aspire to be the first franchise to retain the title since Tom Brady's New England Patriots did so between the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Following in Brady's footsteps, Mahomes has guided Kansas City to six straight conference finals with two other trips to the Super Bowl, culminating in a ring in the 2019 campaign and a runner-up finish in 2020.
A major obstacle awaits the talented quarterback on Sunday on his way to expanding the Chiefs dynasty.
Patrick Mahomes wants to continue making history in the NFL.
Photo: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports.
At the Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium, Mahomes will play in his first conference finals on the road against another MVP-level quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
Mahomes (28 years old) has two Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in 2018 and 2022 while Jackson (27) received the one in 2019 and is the great contender to win this campaign.
This afternoon will be the first playoff duel between two quarterbacks under the age of 30 who have won MVP awards.
Lamar Jackson passes and runs, he just needs to reach the Super Bowl.
Photo: AP Photo/Nick Wass.
"We are simply two greats (players) who are going to face each other like in a heavyweight fight," predicted Jackson, eager to lead the Ravens to their first Super Bowl since the 2012 season triumph.
"To be a champion, you have to beat a champion. That's the mentality," stressed the quarterback, who has fallen three of the four times he played against Mahomes in the regular season.
Taylor Swift's season
Without being the favorites for once, the Chiefs have attracted the majority of the spotlight this postseason and not only for exciting victories like against the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round.
From the stands, pop star Taylor Swift has been supporting her partner's team, tight end Travis Kelce, and is expected to try to bring them luck again in Baltimore.
Singer Taylor Swift became a fan of her boyfriend's team, Travis Kelce.
Photo: AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File
Without making much noise, the Ravens became the best team of the regular season thanks to Jackson, one of the quarterbacks who best combines the air and ground game.
This season no quarterback rushed for more yards (821) than Jackson, who also took a leap forward as a passer with 3,678 passing yards.
"There's a reason he's going to be the MVP," Mahomes said of his rival.
"He leads his team, scores, runs, shoots, does whatever it takes to win. That's what the greats do."
The Lions and a date with history
The other ticket to the Super Bowl will be decided at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara (California), where the San Francisco 49ers will host the Detroit Lions.
Brock Purdy, the surprising quarterback of San Francisco.
Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu.
The 49ers, the first seed in the NL, are the big favorites to win their fourth consecutive conference final, but last week they showed some signs of weakness in an agonizing victory against the Packers.
Their star running back Christian McCaffrey, with two touchdowns, and the young quarterback Brock Purdy, with a last offensive series of many carats, managed to maintain the hopes of a title that has eluded San Francisco since 1994.
For their part, the Lions, third seed, will compete in their first conference final in the last three decades and are going for the first Super Bowl in their history under the command of the experienced Jared Goff.
At 29 years old, Goff wants to become the fifth quarterback to lead two franchises to the Super Bowl, after falling in the 2018 campaign in the fight for the title with the Los Angeles Rams against Brady's Patriots.
Source: AFP