As Lamar Jackson rises in second season, Ravens QB prepares to take on Chiefs team that handed him first loss

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Amid all the glowing Lamar Jackson headlines and highlight reels, it’s easy to overlook that he has still only lost one regular-season game as a starting quarterback in the NFL: At Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, exactly 284 days ago.

Jackson, of course, could never forget about that loss. It lingered with him all offseason.

“It’s still with me right now,” he said Wednesday.

As the Baltimore Ravens prepare to face the Kansas City Chiefs again Sunday, the national narrative surrounding the game has been distilled down to a meeting between two of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks: Jackson, and reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes.

But for Jackson, the game is also a return to what teammates describe as a turning point in his development. The crowd and the cold of that Week 14 loss gave him both a learning experience and a source of fuel.

“He played big in big moments and, for most of the game, outplayed everybody else on the field,” Ravens backup quarterback Robert Griffin III told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “I think guys have confidence knowing that he was able to do that, in that environment. He has confidence knowing that he was able to do that, in that environment. “

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Jackson, who was making just the second road start of his career, completed 13 of 24 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-24 loss to the Chiefs. He was sufficient but not necessarily dynamic — looking very much like the rookie he was.

Though the loss put a small dent in Baltimore’s playoff hopes at the time, teammates say it was also the moment in which they saw what Jackson is capable of.

“I think Lamar being able to play a tight game like that was big for his growth,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “It’s one of those games that I don’t think a lot of people have forgotten to this day.”

In the months since, the Ravens — led by offensive coordinator Greg Roman — have made a renewed effort to tailor their offense to Jackson’s strengths. The differences in his comfort level have been noticeable all summer to the Ravens — and Chiefs coach Andy Reid said they are visible right away on film.

“(The coaching staff has) opened the gate for him,” Reid said on a conference call Wednesday. “They’re doing a million different things, and he’s doing it well, and (it) looks he’s loving doing it.”

Through the first two weeks of the season, Jackson has thrown for seven touchdowns and amassed a quarterback rating of 145.2, which leads the league. And, according to the NFL’s research department, he is one of only two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to have seven touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion rate of at least 70%. (Mahomes, coincidentally, is the other.)

Jackson said he feels more comfortable now in part because he had a full offseason under his belt, time that he was able to use to build chemistry with his receivers. But the scheme changes on offense, he acknowledged, have made a big impact, too — proof of the coaching staff’s complete investment in him.

“They believe in me,” Jackson said. “They trust me.”

Now, with several veteran quarterbacks bowing out this week — either due to injuries (like Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger) or performance (Eli Manning) — much of the national focus will be on Jackson and Mahomes on Sunday. They are 22 and 24 years old, respectively, and among the league leaders in quarterback rating and touchdown passes, among other statistical categories.

Jackson said he is looking forward to going head-to-head with the reigning MVP once again, with a chance to avenge last year’s loss, but he distanced himself from the idea that the game is as simple as a matchup of quarterbacks.

“It’s Ravens vs. Chiefs,” Jackson said. “I don’t really look at it like I’m competing against him. I’m competing against their defense, if anything.”

Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.

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