All eyes will be on the battle between the two quarterbacks in Sunday night’s AFC Championship game when the Baltimore Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is coming off a regular season that looks set to be garnished with his second NFL MVP award, while Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes and his offense have found form in the playoffs after a stuttering regular season.
Fireworks are expected from both offenses, but this is likely to be a game that is decided by whichever defense is able to slow down the elite quarterback that they are facing.
Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith is relishing the match-up against two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP Mahomes and believes that his unit will be able to match up well against the 28-year-old.
"We all know he's an elite quarterback," Smith said during a pre-Championship game press conference on Wednesday "He does everything well. I think personally just his ability to read coverages, extend plays. … He's a great quarterback, we all know that, but so are we on defense."
The Baltimore defense finished the regular season allowing just 16.5 points per game, a league-wide best, and Smith has hailed his team-mates application throughout the season.
"I think it just goes back to guys not being complacent," Smith explained. "Guys being consistent. Day in and day out, and I think it starts with the preparation throughout the week. Each and every guy look themselves in the mirror. I try to tell each and every guy every day, if you give everything that you've got, there's not many people who can do what we can do. I know this defense is really good, and we're going to do everything in our part to show that to the world."
The winners of the AFC title game will face whoever triumphs in the NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on February 11
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