The Baltimore Ravens kick off the season Thursday in Kansas City with a chance to avenge their AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs. Lamar Jackson, however, dismissed the idea that it's a "revenge" game.
"Any game I play in, I feel like it's a revenge game," Jackson said, "I'm not just going to look at this game like a revenge game. Anybody we play, no matter if we've beaten them or lost to them in previous years, I just want to win."
Jackson is 1-4 in his career when facing off against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. In last year's AFC title game, the reigning 国产外流网MVP moved the ball, but three turnovers, including two by Jackson, wiped out chances for points in a low-scoring 17-10 affair in Baltimore.
The 27-year-old quarterback knows that getting off to a good start Thursday would potentially set up the Ravens to repeat as the AFC's top seed; however, he's just focusing on one game at a time.
"We have to win regular season games [in order] to get to January," Jackson said. "We can't just go into the season and go 5-12, because then we're not going to be in the playoffs. Playoffs are on our mind, but at the same time, we have to win this game that's ahead of us."
After the offseason grind, training camp and preseason, Jackson is ready to face any opponent other than his own defense.
"I'm ready to go. I've been going against my guys for weeks," Jackson said. "It's time to go against somebody else."
That somebody will be the same club that ended the Ravens' chance to get to a Super Bowl last season.
