Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes were the subject of a recent debate between Fox Sports Radio’s ‘The Odd Couple’ hosts Rob Parker and Chris Broussard. In what has been slow news day before training camps start, the two veteran sports media personalities argued about the better quarterback between the reigning Super Bowl champ and the reigning MVP.
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It’s a loaded discussion that splintered in different directions. Based on last season’s outcome, which Parker referenced in his argument, Jackson is better than Mahomes because he almost won his second NFL Most Valuable Player award unanimously. A caller also backed Parker, saying that Jackson would have had the same success as Mahomes if he had been the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback.
However, Broussard cannot accept Parker’s point while advocating for Mahomes in this debate. He brought the discussion to playoff victories, which Mahomes dominates compared to other active quarterbacks. Even if Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Chiefs in last season’s AFC Championship Game, Broussard would still take Mahomes over Jackson.
“I don’t think Lamar (Jackson) winning MVP last year (made him) better than Mahomes and even had he beat him in the playoffs.”
In addition to three Super Bowl titles in five seasons, including back-to-back wins in Super Bowls LVII and LVIII, Broussard mentioned that Mahomes has won 15 of his 18 playoff games in six seasons as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. What’s even more impressive is that the Chiefs made a Super Bowl return trip despite having a wide receiver unit with limited talent.
But despite that limitation, which led to one of Mahomes’ worst NFL seasons, he still willed the Chiefs. Broussard equates being “the best” to being the competitor who achieved the most success, a category in which Mahomes is far ahead of Jackson.
Broussard Would Still Go With Mahomes Even if Jackson Wins a Super Bowl
Erasing a few in-game mishaps might have helped the Ravens reach Super Bowl LVIII over the Chiefs. But even if that hypothetical scenario were to unfold, leading to Jackson lifting his first Vince Lombardi Trophy, Broussard would still consider Mahomes the superior quarterback, primarily because Mahomes has won more titles. The analyst finds Mahomes’ ability to come from behind in all three victories particularly impressive.
Besides, Mahomes would have gotten a pass if he lost in last season’s AFC Championship bout because he played on the Ravens’ home turf. It was the first AFC title game outside Kansas City since 2017 because the Chiefs hosted it from 2018 to 2022. Therefore, finding a way to defeat Jackson and the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium adds to Mahomes’ legend.
Likewise, Mahomes will benefit the most from Andy Reid’s five-year, $100 million contract extension. The two-time NFL MVP extends his partnership with one of the best minds in football. Yet, an often overlooked detail is that Mahomes and Jackson are just two years apart, with Mahomes turning 29 in September.
As Parker mentioned, Jackson did have memorable regular-season performances, such as that Christmas Day game against the San Francisco 49ers. Perhaps he will continue this trend this year and go all the way. It would take a lot of luck and more than half a decade for him to match Mahomes’ accolades, but in football, as we have seen, nothing is impossible. However, for now, Broussard certainly seems to have a few solid points.
