Last season, Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second MVP award and led his team to their first AFC Championship game since 2012. However, they came up against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who eventually won their second straight Super Bowl. Mahomes won his third Super Bowl MVP and third ring. Is there any room for argument about who the better player is? Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce seem to think so.
In a recent episode of Ticket & The Truth, Pierce and Garnett got into it about the two star QBs.
“I think [Lamar Jackson] is arguably the best player in the game right now,” Pierce said.
However, The Big Ticket disagreed.
“You think he's better than Patrick Mahomes?” KG said. “Man, get the f**k out of here, P. [Mahomes] just won the goddamn Super Bowl.”
Ravens vs. Chiefs
Regardless of your choice, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce's arguments about Mahomes vs. Jackson seem similar to the GOAT debates in the NBA, particularly between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. In this scenario, Garnett would argue for Jordan's case because of his six rings, while Pierce would argue for LeBron because of his individual greatness and accolades.
While it seems silly to argue for individual players in team sports, the two NFL stars definitely have interesting points of comparison. Jackson has two MVPs but no Super Bowls, while Mahomes has three Super Bowl rings and three SB MVPs.
Last season, Jackson played 16 games and had a completion percentage of 67.2%, with 3,678 passing yards and 24 pass touchdowns and seven interceptions. Meanwhile, in the same season, Mahomes also had a 67.2% completion rate, but he had 4,183 passing yards, 27 pass touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
Moreover, in his six NFL seasons, Lamar Jackson has thrown for 15,886 yards and scored 125 touchdowns. He has also earned selections to three Pro Bowls.
Patrick Mahomes has played one more season than Jackson. In his career, he has thrown for 28,424 yards and scored 219 touchdowns. He has also earned selections to six Pro Bowls, won one Offensive Player of the Year award, two MVPs, along with his Super Bowls.
On GOAT arguments
In terms of the numbers and accolades, the two are pretty evenly matched, which is perhaps why fans like to point to trophies and rings.
Like Garnett and Pierce, you can spend all day debating between the two quarterbacks without ever reaching a conclusive answer because it really depends on which aspect of the game you value: team accomplishments or individual triumphs. (Still, LeBron has four rings.)
Whoever your choice, the important thing is witnessing two greats in action. The Ravens and Chiefs meet in a rematch of their AFC Championship game in Week 1 of the 2024 season.
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