The last time Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson played in a game, he left the field in Baltimore while the Chiefs were celebrating another trip to the Super Bowl.
That was his fourth trip in the past five years, so there’s no question who’s the best in the AFC right now. Jackson and the Ravens will have to beat the Chiefs if they want to reach the quarterback’s first Super Bowl, but Jackson said Sunday he won’t put on any extra weight in Thursday night’s opener in Kansas City.
“In any game I play, I feel like it’s… A game of revenge“Jackson said, via the team’s website. “I’m not going to look at this game as a revenge game. Whoever team we’re playing, it doesn’t matter if we beat them or lost to them in previous years, I just want to win.”
While the playoff loss to the Chiefs adds some extra narrative juice to Thursday’s game, it’s still just the first of 17 regular-season games the Ravens will need to overcome to have any chance of reversing last season’s bitter ending. Jackson’s response shows that perspective, though it’s hard to imagine defeating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in their stadium wouldn’t be a little sweeter than most regular-season wins.
