Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes two days away we are literally counting down the minutes to these two former MVPs going head-to-head Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes on Thursday night at AFC Championship rematch Lamar Jackson's season ended with that 171 home loss he is one and4 in his career against Patrick Mahomes and that led Stephen A to ask this question yesterday what do you going to do when you Lamar Jackson and you going up against that dude we can't forget what sports is all about your regular season we get you your athleticism we get it your abilities we get it but that also provokes us to ask how come you can't get it done when you going up against this brother you do it against everybody else he has even less of an excuse now than he ever has before it ain't about AFC appearance AFC title game appearances ain't about playoff appearan anymore with Lamar Jackson hell it ain't even about the Super Bowl it's about one dude that repeatedly stands in your way his name is Patrick Mahomes so it's an interesting thought I'm not 100 I wasn't watching that segment so I don't 100% know the context of the point he's trying to make I think what he's trying to say or what he could be trying to say is that we're just living in the Patrick Mahomes era right and that Lamar Jackson may be destined to go down with car Malone Charles Barkley and Patrick Ying as all-time great players who had the misfortune of playing at the same time as Michael Jordan if that's the case he's not alone that that could be the fate of Josh Allen and any number of other guys Kyle Shanahan mahes is that good yeah absolutely that makes sense to me yes that that is and what he's what Stephen A is right I mean like that's what stands in your way if you want to be anointed one of the greats I think Stephen A's point is you got to win championships and right now he has not been able to clear that hurdle cause of Patrick Mahomes uh and that you're right that might just be the way it is right now but I mean you know if you want to be considered one of the greats if you're going to be the two-time MVP you know at some point you're going to have to find a way and obviously it's not all on him but but that's that's how they're judged and not only that but you made the point to us this morning and I think this is important for for fans I'm going to keep saying it this way Dan is in mid-season form fans are just catching up to the beginning of the Season these Ravens probably don't figure to start season as good as they were at the end of last Seas no look that major change right they have three new starting offensive linemen they have to work through that they have major changes on defense where the coordinator from last year uh Mike McDonald is now the head coach of the Seahawks and two of his assistants are defensive coordinators elsewhere and they lose Patrick uh Patrick Queen and Jade devian Clowney and they have to so they're a really good organization they're well run and and if they stay at the top then that wouldn't be a shock but I don't think it'd be a shock either if the Ravens took a a step back this year that that's the point is that I think a lot of football fans said oh they got Derrick Henry that's the next step boom they go to the Super B it's not like they couldn't run the ball right no yeah yeah exactly they they they going to continue to run the football they ran it for 156 last year without they're going to keep running the football I I think gr's point is well made I think when you think about this team and all the change they're going to have they have to catch up let me say this though about the Lamar Jackson conversation cuz I love the whole you know Lamar Jackson versus Mahomes they don't play they don't play the same time right they don't play each other M the issue for Lamar Jackson is in the big moments of those games 10 points in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs I don't think people give credit to the team the Chiefs have as well their defense is legit you can't score I think that's more of the criticism that I would give a quarterback it's not that you lose to momes it's that you scor 10 points after you boat RAC then they boat RAC the Lions they beat some really good San Francisco yeah they down and they're as hot as a team can get and then you get to the the big game home game home game and it just doesn't show that well I think to me that's more of an indictment than he's losing to momes fair enough but Jeffrey I mean you were right there when P Manning was going against Tom Brady and those were the and the world judged that as Brady versus Manning I have to believe they looked at at that yeah no no doubt I'm not I'm not saying that I would say for the indictment from my side would be more that in the in the in the big game against that team he didn't play if they if they lose 3431 I think it's a different conversation with Lamar than 1710 I hear you Hawk is is is Baltimore still the biggest hurdle standing in mahomes's way to a three-peat yes because uh Lamar Jackson is like a talent we've never seen we understand he the reason why gr feels so confident he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't take a step back is because they have that guy no matter what the changes they've had as a team no matter who left because Lamar Jackson is in the building they always have a chance to run at the Super Bowl and if you zoom out a little bit and you look at all the seasons that Lamar Jackson has completed he has gone almost a step further in every single season the pton Manning comp is is a great one because I was at that game the AFC championship in 2006 where they went down 21 and those same conversations were happening because he had lost to to Tom Brady two out of the last three previous years in the playoffs and Ben rothenburger when they were a one seed so yes Lamar Jackson has to win in the postseason but because of his talent he always has that chance for this year to be his Year we're doing Bold Predictions: Chiefs, Eagles, Browns bold predictions let's start in the opener Hawk Ravens Chiefs give me a bold prediction for the Thursday night start my bold prediction is that Xavier worthy receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs is going to have two touchdowns in his NFL debut look Patrick Mahomes has a brand new toy and it can do the long ball and trust me he's going to want to put that on full display for people to prepare for and also to show everybody that these Chiefs are going to be different receivers than they were a year ago yeah worthy ran the fastest 40 in the history of the combine so that's who he has now to play with a Packers Eagles give me a prediction it's going to sound a little similar uh to Hawks but I have Devonte Smith Eagles receiver going over 100 yards and catching two touchdowns in the opener I think he'll be the star of the game I think he's at a monster Camp they think he might be the player that benefits the most from the offensive coordinator change to Kell Moore just in terms of how he can put him in motion pre- snap and all that stuff Devonte Smith Big Year incoming all right good stuff here for Fantasy implications prop bet implications I like it Jeffrey give me a bold prediction for cowboys in Cleveland Brown Sack D baby we'll get into the trenches everybody wants to talk about all the pretty players we're playing with the nasty ones middle hey Jim Schwarz knows how to put pressure on QBs I'm saying they sack them four times which will be a big number in week one I like this matchup I'm just telling you it's going to be big time we're going to get into this game here it's a big one because Tom Brady is going to be doing the broadcast I know Jeff is very excited about that but let's start with Dallas Cowboys masterplan Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy who yesterday says he has a master plan for this season season week one and Beyond it's not hard to focus on Cleveland I mean it's it's you know it's it's what's right in front of us um yeah you have to have a plan um you know my plan for 21 games uh we have a 21 game plan um late out today in the team meeting 21 game plan says Mike McCarthy Andrew Hawkins what say you yeah it they asked if this was him being overconfident and I said I would be more concerned if he didn't have a plan that he laid out that they would win the Super Bowl and for the viewers out there I want them to know every single team in the history of the NFL says and does this at the beginning of the year as a matter of fact I have my Andrew Hawkins 2016 slogan which was the the Cleveland Browns turnaround year how that how' that go we went one and 15 um so my point being this is this is not news okay this is this is just what happens I hear you and and and I was thinking he's got a what I just thank God I didn't have to play on a team that I had a turnaround shirt I mean that's that's when you're digging from the bottom of the barrel bro and if I'm remembering right they were even worse the following year that was 160 oh my the turn around tough times there was a turnaround the Improvement the Improvement was infinite you can't even put a percentage on it but but let's let's let's get down to business here okay I thought what I thought of when I hear Mike McCarthy as a plan is Mike Tyson famously saying everyone's got a plan till they get punched in the mouth and you're telling me you think the Cowboys are going to get punched in the mouth I do I I think physically I think the Browns match up well with them I know they're banged up I know they got some issues injury-wise I just think the the Browns MO is going to be physicality I I love I think they're going to be a top three defense I think they're come out I think they want to run the football I and for the last time we saw Dallas that didn't bode well for them Green Bay literally lined up and and and took him the task I expect now that the difference for for me with the Cowboys is Zimmer being their defensive coordinator he brings physicality he doesn't talk nearly as much about turnovers every coach wants them but he does want to play physical I'm interested to see how that plays out but I like this Browns football team I think they going to be a sleeper for a lot of people I I do too they're not the healthiest they could possibly be going into week one The Tackle situ offensive tackles uh they've had a hard time getting them on the field this off season uh so we don't know how they're going to line up if jedric Wills was going to be able to play so they need to get into the season get a little bit healthier but their roster looks fantastic uh assuming you know the quarterback can play which the last couple years has been he has not been able to through injury and other Factor just flame struggle um and then very quickly because I think a lot of fans want to know this from you hawk as a wide receiver CD lamb he will have been CeeDee Lamb's ceiling in Week 1 in Camp for less than two weeks when this game kicks off on Sunday he is not only the best player on their offense but he's a major player in fantasy football and all sorts of other maybe gambling implications what percentage of his best should we be expecting CD lamb to be at best 85 85% that's if he's had an incredible workout regimen outside of the building in Dallas because it's just really hard to simulate the amount of intensity that it takes to play in an NFL game especially when you haven't been at practice putting that malage on your body and making your body get accustomed to the win that it's going to take to be able to play at your best for the remainder of the game also for this offense the whole thing runs through CD so there is no version where he gets a p out greeny he's going to have to play he got his money hamstrings be damned you got to go out there but we have to temper our expectations to know that he is not in football shape not just football shape he is not in wide receiver shape which is a whole different level above regular NFL football shape he yeah he can't say it any better like like wide receiver shape is totally different I mean you talking about miles and miles right right but the the other part is it's the other parts of the receiver having to dig out blocks on the inside the physicality of having to play the way the Browns are going to play him are they going to walk up play him in man Jam him off the line all of those things puts a ton of stress on your body that you can't replicate without being playing football and so I do think there's going to be a lot of on his body and I'm just telling you right now if you're the Cowboys I I don't the whole pitch count think I would put him on a pitch count I wouldn't I would not let the guy go play 70 snaps 75 snaps or whatever on the road in Cleveland [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]