Lamar: Ravens would've beaten Chiefs in AFC title game if 'legs were good'
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson believes the slimmer version of himself would've been able to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game last season.
"How I'm feeling right now, I wish I was feeling like this, body-wise, in the AFC championship. We would have won the game," Jackson told Kent Babb of the Washington Post. "I would have been able to move around for my guys. With me just hurting and can't move, I know if my legs were good, we would have won that shit. We wouldn't have even had to throw the ball. F--k throwing the ball."
Led by a premier defense, the Chiefs took down the Ravens on the road in January to advance to the Super Bowl. Jackson was limited to 20 completions on 37 pass attempts for 272 yards and one touchdown against one interception versus Kansas City. The 2023 MVP also carried the ball eight times for 54 yards. He had 11 carries, 100 yards, and two rushing TDs in a divisional-round victory over the Houston Texans a week earlier.
Jackson revealed earlier this year that he was down to around 200 pounds after playing at 230 in 2022 and 215 in 2023. The 27-year-old later explained that he wanted to lose weight to avoid moving around on the field "without getting fatigued."
"I felt like I was fat," Jackson said in August.
Jackson is only 1-4 against Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, who's already won three Super Bowl titles. The two will face off again Thursday to kick off the 2024 NFL season at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jackson has posted a 58-19 regular-season record but is 2-4 in the playoffs. He has yet to reach the Super Bowl.
"I want to feel it," Jackson said about potentially lifting the Lombardi Trophy, per Babb. "I want the ultimate award of what I've been busting my ass to do all my life."
He said last week he's not seeking revenge against the Chiefs in Week 1.