Although the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce came away impressed by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
While Jackson didn't have his greatest passing performance in Week 1 — 26-41, 273 yards, 1 touchdown — Jackson did damage with legs, running the ball 16 times for 122 yards. Jackson often kept Ravens' drives alive by carrying the ball himself when plays broke down.
On Kelce's "New Heights" podcast, the 35-year-old tight end heaped praise on Jackson.
"Lamar has got to be the hardest quarterback in the NFL to prepare for," Kelce said. "Not only is their run game so damn good, but then you have to account for him in the run game. Not only do you have to account for Derrick Henry coming downhill and [Patrick] Ricard blocking for him, it's like, you gotta account for everybody in the backfield there.
"And then on top of that, he can throw it. He's a passer now. He is 100% a passer."
Kelce continued, saying practice squads don't have players that can emulate Jackson to help defenses prepare.
"There's nobody in the league that you could ever put back there from your team that is going to simulate how good Lamar is. So, you just put a wide receiver whenever you're doing the read option stuff, you put him at quarterback and try to [simulate] the speed he has. But then on top of that, you gotta now figure out how you're going to stop him with his arm."
The Chiefs defense did a solid job in limiting Baltimore's big plays in Week 1. Jackson averaged just 3.3 air yards per attempt. Meanwhile, the Chiefs largely stifled the Ravens' running backs, with Henry gaining just 46 yards on 13 attempts.
After the game, several Ravens players said they won't play as poorly as they did against the Chiefs again. Kelce believes Baltimore is only going to get better.
"That Baltimore offense, once they get rolling — which I'm sure they will these next couple weeks — that team's going to be really, really good going into the playoffs."
Watch Kelce's comments below:
