When the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns take the field for Week 1 of the regular season, it’ll be a showdown of hotly contested quarterbacks. Both Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield are entering their third seasons in the NFL, rekindling a forced rivalry that started at the 2018 NFL Draft.
While neither player seemingly has a problem with the other, their respective draft statuses and their employment in the same division inevitably tie them together. Mayfield was taken with the first-overall pick while Jackson had to wait until the final pick of the first round. Since then, they’ve had a crossing of career paths.
Mayfield had a stellar rookie campaign, looking every bit the top pick he was. It made Mayfield the star of commercials and the apple of Cleveland’s eye. But Mayfield’s second season featured far more struggles as he saw a drop in completion percentage and average yards per attempt, while nearly matching his touchdown throw total in interceptions.
In Baltimore, Jackson saw the opposite. After beginning his rookie season behind incumbent-starter Joe Flacco, Jackson claimed the top job` due to injuries. While Jackson had a promising finish to his rookie campaign, it was also rife with question marks. But Jackson’s second season was the stuff of legend. The Ravens built an offense around his unique skill set and Jackson flourished, winning the 2019 NFL MVP award and taking the place of Mayfield as one of the faces of the league.
Now entering their third seasons in the NFL, both quarterbacks are looking to start off strong against one another, to either revive or continue that glory in 2020.
Jackson now looks to make the same leap Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did the previous season — going from being a regular-season MVP to a Super Bowl MVP. With two losses in two playoff games, this is a defining season for Jackson and the Ravens to prove they’re more than a flash in the pan in the regular season.
Mayfield also has much to prove in this upcoming season, but for different reasons than his counterpart. With Cleveland having a short memory when it comes to quarterbacks, Mayfield will look to return to his rookie form and prove to both his team and the entire league he’s capable of bringing glory back to the Browns.
Both quarterbacks are key to their respective teams’ fortunes this week. When these division rivals have faced off over the last two years, their play has had a direct correlation between who wins and who loses.
In Jackson’s first matchup against the Browns (Week 17 of 2018), his clean play, 90 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns beat Mayfield’s three interceptions. In Week 4 last season, Mayfield beat up on Baltimore to the tune of a 66.67% completion rate, 342 passing yards, and one touchdown throw to one interception; while Jackson tossed two interceptions and had a fumble. The reverse was the case in Week 16 when Jackson threw three interception-free touchdown passes and rushed for 103 yards to Mayfield’s 192 passing yards on 33 attempts with two touchdowns and one interception.
There’s so much more on the line for both the Browns and the Ravens this season than this lone game. But as their histories have proven, this Week 1 matchup will come down to which quarterback plays better. A down performance could start their respective teams at 0-1 while bringing about heavy criticism and doubt. A positive performance is the key to a win and being the darling of the division.
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