Is Lamar Jackson really better than Patrick Mahomes?

The final ten spots of the NFL Top 100 was revealed and the rankings had Lamar Jackson at number one, higher than Patrick Mahomes, who was fourth.

This caused quite the ruckus amongst NFL fans, as many expected Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 MVP and reigning Super Bowl MVP, to be on the top spot on the rankings, just like he was the year prior.

That would make sense too, as Mahomes is only 24 years old and already has an MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, and a Super Bowl ring on his resumé. He’s now swimming in dough, as the Chiefs recently just signed him to a ten-year extension (not a typo) worth over $500 million.

Instead, Lamar Jackson got the top spot on the rankings.

When looking at the 2019 regular season, Jackson was phenomenal and was more than deserving of the MVP award for his efforts that season. He and the smothering Ravens run game got Baltimore to a 14-2 record and the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

Jackson finished his first full year as the starter with 3,127 passing yards and 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions while rushing for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns. He has more rushing touchdowns than he did interceptions.

Even with Lamar Jackson’s MVP season, he’s still nowhere close to being as good as Patrick Mahomes.

Don’t get me wrong — Lamar Jackson is a lot of fun to watch and the Ravens will continue to be a force to be reckoned with as long as he’s their quarterback.

When it comes down to who is better between him and Patrick Mahomes, however, it’s no contest.

Mahomes missed two starts last year and had nearly 1,000 more passing yards than Jackson did (4,031) while throwing for 26 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He’s not the runner that Jackson is, adding just 218 rushing yards to his 2019 campaign with two rushing touchdowns, but Chiefs fans would rather not see Mahomes running and risking injury anyway.

Another HUGE factor here is what has transpired for both of these quarterbacks in the playoffs.

Mahomes has only lost once in the postseason, the AFC Championship Game in the 2018 season that came in overtime to the Patriots, while Jackson has yet to win a playoff game in two attempts.

Not only that, but Jackson has been pitiful in both of his playoff appearances while Mahomes has thrived in his. Mahomes and the Chiefs were down double digit points in all three of their playoff games this past season and ended up winning all of them.

Jackson, on the other hand, panics when he gets behind and has to move away from his strength. He can’t run as much when his team is trailing because it eats up time, so he’s forced to throw more against defenses that no longer have to defend him on the ground.

When it comes down to it, both quarterbacks are insanely talented and this will be a fun rivalry to watch for the next however many years the two go at it. When we’re discussing who is more talented, however, Patrick Mahomes takes the cake right now.