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The benefit of the AFC being loaded with elite, young quarterbacks is that their careers are forced to intertwine. Patrick Mahomes already has budding rivalries with Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, but his biggest foe within the conference is someone he hasn’t played since Week 2 of the 2021 season: Lamar Jackson.
As Jackson closes in on his second MVP award, it’s clear that these two quarterbacks are the cream of the crop in the AFC, if not the entire NFL. They still have a ways to go to catch some of the titans from the previous generation in terms of longevity, like Tom Brady's and Peyton Manning’s rivalry, but this could be the newest quarterback duel that runs the conference.
Jackson and Mahomes are fresh off games that show why they’re held in such high regard by just about everyone who follows the sport. Jackson used a second-half explosion to score three touchdowns against the Houston Texans on Saturday, clinching the Ravens' first home AFC championship game.
A year after his eventful offseason landed him a colossal contract to be the Ravens’ long-term quarterback, he has made the Ravens look brilliant for locking him in as he’s a near-lock to win the MVP award in a couple of weeks. This is what Jackson can do when he has a little more space to operate in a spread-style attack like the one offensive coordinator Todd Monken has installed for him. He’s as talented as any quarterback to come into the NFL and now has a scheme that allows him to be the best version of himself.
Mahomes showed Sunday why he has been the best quarterback in the sport since he became the starter for the Chiefs in 2018. Even though the Chiefs' offense was incredibly inconsistent throughout the season, Kansas City locked in at the perfect time to torch the Bills’ defense in a 27-24 win that easily could've been 34-24 if Mecole Hardman hadn't fumbled the ball through the end zone. Engineering that level of efficiency will be difficult against the stalwart Ravens defense, but it’s impossible to count Mahomes out of any situation at this point. Six straight AFC title game appearances is something that’s impossible to be discounted.
Mahomes has a leg up in terms of postseason success, with two Super Bowl titles to Jackson's zero, but that doesn’t mean Jackson isn’t capable of reaching those same heights. In that way, this resembles the situation between Brady and Manning. Jackson has all the skills and requisite supporting talent to win a Super Bowl; he just needs to get it done in spots where Mahomes has proven himself to be unstoppable already.
That’s part of what makes this game so captivating. Even with the youth of Mahomes, who entered the league one season before Jackson, the QB is already an established figure in NFL lore and history with his postseason success. On the flip side, this is the last remaining hole on Jackson’s own sterling résumé as an NFL player.
Only time will tell if these players eventually reach the heights of what Brady and Manning accomplished in terms of on-field success, but players who find themselves constantly competing in legacy-defining moments automatically become the faces of the sport. By the time this season is over, Mahomes and Jackson will have won four MVP awards combined since the start of the 2018 season. That alone makes them two of the most dominant players of this era of football — and now they’re facing off with a shot at the Lombardi Trophy on the line.
Mahomes has had his face-offs with Allen and Burrow, but Jackson is the only player who has come close to him in terms of accolades. When they take the field Sunday, it’ll be clear that this is the new-age quarterback rivalry that’s going to define the next several years of the NFL. Mahomes vs. Jackson. Brady vs. Manning. A new age is here.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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