OWINGS MILLS, Md. — When Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson plays at Kansas City on Sunday, he will go to the one place in the NFL where he’s only felt defeat multiple times.
But Jackson doesn’t feel any extra motivation heading into Arrowhead Stadium, where he has a career 0-3 record.
“It’s in the past,” Jackson said. “You can’t bring what happened back whenever to this year. We’ve just have to lock in on what’s ahead right now.”
The focus for the Ravens (1-2) is avoiding their worst start in a decade, although they’ll have to overcome their Arrowhead hurdle to do so.
Jackson’s first loss as an NFL starting quarterback occurred in Kansas City in 2018, when a sack knocked him out of overtime with an ankle injury. Robert Griffin III threw two incompletions to end a 27-24 loss.
A year later at Arrowhead, Jackson scored on a 9-yard run that got Baltimore within one score in the fourth quarter, but the Ravens were foiled by three failed 2-point conversions in a 33-28 setback.
Then, in last season’s opener in Kansas City, Jackson thought he had tied the score with no time remaining but the 10-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely was overturned by replay. It was ruled that Likely’s toe landed on the end line, which closed out a 27-20 defeat.
Jackson only has losing records in two other NFL stadiums, Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium (1-3) and Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium (0-1). Still, he insists that getting the elusive victory in Kansas City won’t impact Sunday’s game (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
“Like I always say, each and every week, I’m going to be motivated no matter who the opponent is, no matter where it is,” Jackson said. “I’m just trying to win. I’m already motivated.”
The Ravens won in their first three trips to Kansas City, including a 30-7 wild-card win in 2010. But Baltimore hasn’t won at Arrowhead since the Chiefs drafted quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the first round in 2017.
Mahomes has thrown six touchdowns and two interceptions in three wins over Baltimore in Kansas City, leading the Chiefs to an average of 29 points per game.
“I think one thing we touched on was just staying on your feet when he pump fakes,” Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh said of Mahomes. “And then when you get there, try to hit him legally, as legally as you can in today’s NFL. We have to respect his playmaking ability. He does a lot of things where he’s running out of bounds, and he’s trying to [make contact with] guys. So, we have to be smart, but at the same time show him that we’re not scared to hit him.”
The Chiefs (1-2) and Mahomes have struggled without players such as wide receivers Rashee Rice (suspended) and Xavier Worthy, who has missed the past two games with a shoulder injury. Mahomes’ 669 yards passing are his second fewest through the first three games since becoming the full-time starter in 2018.
But Mahomes has been near perfect in his matchups with Jackson. He has beaten Jackson in five of six meetings, which is tied for the fourth-best win percentage (.833) in matchups between NFL quarterbacks who have won MVPs.
“He’s the same quarterback to me … he’s the same problem,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Mahomes. “When you try to defend him, it’s the same issues. He’s just capable of making incredible plays, and we’re going to have to deal with it.”
Since Jackson and Mahomes became starting quarterbacks in 2018, it’s been either the Ravens or the Chiefs as the AFC’s No. 1 seed for six of the past seven seasons. The Chiefs were the top seed four times (2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024) and the Ravens twice (2019 and 2023).
After Sunday, barring a tie, the Ravens or the Chiefs will fall to 1-3. In the Super Bowl era, only 11% of teams that start 1-3 have gone on to make the playoffs, according to ESPN Research. The last time Baltimore began 1-3 was 2015, and the Ravens failed to reach the postseason.
“You live for big games like that,” Ravens running back Derrick Henry said. “As a kid, you want to play in environments like that.”
