OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Eight months ago, during a 17-10 loss in the AFC Championship Game, Lamar Jackson was so enraged after throwing an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter that the Baltimore Ravens quarterback ripped off his helmet and slammed it on the ground as he walked to the sideline.

The reigning NFL Most Valuable Player has built a reputation for frustrating defenses with his elusiveness and unpredictability. But when it comes to his matchups with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, Jackson is usually the one left frustrated.

Heading into Thursday night’s rematch with the Chiefs (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), Jackson can’t even the score by beating the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions. But a win in the season opener for Jackson could change the narrative that Mahomes has become his roadblock.

Jackson is 1-4 against Mahomes, which is tied for fifth among the most lopsided rivalries between MVP-winning quarterbacks who have faced each other at least five times.

“I’m not just going to look at this game like it’s a revenge game,” Jackson said. “Everybody we’ve played, regardless of whether we’ve beaten them or lost to them in previous years, I just want to win.”

The success of Mahomes and Jackson has led some to believe that this could be the next Brady-Manning rivalry. At this point, Mahomes vs. Jackson is more uneven than epic.

Jackson’s four losses to Kansas City are his most against a team. Other than Mahomes, no quarterback has defeated Jackson more than twice.

“I know for sure that when you lose to somebody, there’s extra motivation,” Ravens middle linebacker Roquan Smith said. “I have all my confidence in Lamar. He’s the leader of this team and (we know) he’s going to lead us exactly where we want to go, and all we can do is continue to support him.”

Jackson is one of the NFL’s most accomplished quarterbacks, passing Mahomes in February to become the youngest two-time MVP (age 27) since the merger. A dual-threat playmaker, Jackson has led the Ravens to the league’s best regular-season record twice in his first six seasons (14-2 in 2019, 13-4 in 2023).

When he goes up against other top quarterbacks, Jackson usually comes out on top. He won both of his matches against Tom Brady. He has beaten Joe Burrow four out of five times.

But he’s struggled to outshine Mahomes. Jackson’s first loss as a starter came in a 27-24 defeat at Kansas City in Week 14 of the 2018 season, when he was knocked out of the game in overtime with an ankle injury. In 2020, after Jackson’s third straight loss to the Chiefs, he called them “our kryptonite.”

In January, Jackson fell one game short of his first Super Bowl victory when the Chiefs held him to 10 points or fewer for the fourth time in his 83-game career.

“Whenever somebody loses to somebody — it doesn’t matter who it is — you want to get back at them and prove (that), ‘We can beat them,'” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “I think Lamar has the same mindset that I have (and) that everybody in the building has — we’re trying to go in there Thursday and win.”

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN Mahomes and Jackson can be measured by the narrowest of margins.

Mahomes set the tone in the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game, completing an improbable back-shoulder touchdown pass of 19 yards to tight end Travis Kelce, who had a half-yard layup with Hamilton, for the game’s first score.

“Nobody does it like Patrick Mahomes does it style-wise,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s his own man in terms of the way he plays. How fast the ball gets out to the guys who are going for the get-it-outs and how long he takes — as long as it takes — to find a completion.”

TRAVIS KELCE BACK-SHOULDER TD 😱

(via @chefs)photo.twitter.com/gdF4ix8pX8

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2024

Thursday is being billed as a historic night of superstar quarterbacks, with the first matchup of multi-MVP players under the age of 30.

Against Kansas City, Jackson has struggled to create plays against a defense that unleashed heavy blitzes and took away his top target in tight end Mark Andrews. He has recorded five passing touchdowns and three interceptions for a 53 QBR against the Chiefs.

Mahomes, meanwhile, has been using his accuracy to find cracks in Baltimore’s defense. There have been perfectly placed long throws to the end zone and off-kilter, precision passes against the grain. Mahomes has thrown 13 touchdowns and two interceptions for an 86.2 QBR against the Ravens, who in 2023 became the first team in history to lead the league in fewest points allowed (16.5), most sacks (60) and most takeaways (tied for first with 31) in the same season.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Jackson said. “That’s what I’m going to say. He’s a great quarterback. He’s got the accolades to prove it, and he’s made things happen on the field that make his team successful.”

To help his chances against Mahomes, Jackson can count on another historic rivalry.

“They’re absolutely two of the best quarterbacks in this league,” Ravens fullback Pat Ricard said. “It’s kind of a Brady-Manning type of deal.”

Peyton Manning lost his first six meetings against Brady before winning the next three. He defeated Brady twice in 2006 — in Week 9 and the AFC Championship Game — en route to his first Super Bowl. Brady finished with an 11-6 record against Manning, but Manning won six of the last 11 matchups.

“I think it’s more than just the athleticism and the ability to throw, it’s the way he competes,” Mahomes said of Jackson. “I mean, he’s a guy that competes every week. You can see that he cares. You can see that he wants to go out there and win and he wants to take it upon himself to get his team to a place where they can win as many games as possible. And I think that’s something that’s really necessary to be a great quarterback in this league.

“It’s not always about talent. It’s about whether you can go out there every week and compete and find ways, when you don’t have your best stuff, your team doesn’t have your best stuff, to find ways to win football games.”

IN THE AFC Championship Game, Jackson stunned the football world by completing a 13-yard pass — to himself. After his throw was tipped at the line of scrimmage, Jackson ran underneath and had a path to the end zone.

It was a moment that won Jackson an ESPY for “Best Play.” But Jackson didn’t like the play.

He was tackled from behind by Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill, turning what could have been an 82-yard touchdown into a modest gain and causing Jackson to lose 15 pounds this offseason.

“Maybe my eyes deceive me, but I think I used to look a little slower to my eyes,” Jackson said, “but not anymore.”

LAMAR JACKSON DID IT ALL IN THIS PIECE 🔥 @Lj_era8 wins ESPYS Best Play with his remarkable moment against the Kansas City Chiefs 🙌 photo.twitter.com/kMNdosrCej

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 12, 2024

Since becoming the Ravens’ starter midway through the 2018 season, Jackson is tied with Mahomes for the best regular-season winning percentage. Jackson is 58-19 (.753), while Mahomes is 64-21 (.753).

The difference comes in the postseason. Mahomes is 15-3 in the playoffs and has won three Super Bowls. Jackson is 2-4 in the postseason and has never reached a Super Bowl.

“We have to go into every game with the intention of making the playoffs,” Jackson said. “Playoffs are on our minds, but at the same time, we have to win this game that’s in front of us.”

The Ravens have undergone a change since the AFC Championship Game. Jackson will be behind a revamped offensive line that features three new starters. Baltimore signed running back Derrick Henry, the first All-Pro to share the backfield with Jackson.

But if Jackson wants to achieve his ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl, he’ll likely have to find a way to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs.

“He always finds a way to improve himself and his game,” Andrews said. “It’s just a complete package of taking control of this offense (and) telling everybody what he wants to be done. He’s been extremely vocal about that, which I think is great for everybody, and that’s because we’re all on the same page. He’s really nailed it now, and guys are buying in. So we’re going to get tested (Thursday), and I hope it shows.”

ESPN reporter Adam Teicher contributed to this report.