The Chiefs have reached the AFC title game in every season since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback, and he’s been the NFL’s Most Valuable Player twice during the span. But Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson already has been named the league’s MVP for the 2023 season by the Pro Football Writers of America.

“It’s those two quarterbacks and then everybody else,” Humphrey said, “so we’re playing one of the two of the best quarterbacks. The two best quarterbacks in all the world are going to be on the same field, and so we’re facing one and they’re facing the other, so I think it will be a really good matchup.”

Could practicing against Jackson help the Ravens against Mahomes?

“I would say that the biggest difference is ain’t nobody going to touch Lamar in practice,” Humphrey said. “We try to stay pretty far away from him. But, obviously, Lamar is a lot faster than Mahomes. But Mahomes, it’s like what he’s able to do, how he’s able to evade pressure. I was telling some of the guys, ‘When you come off the blitz, Mahomes will pump fake you,’ and I was telling them about my own experience. And I had a really good hit — QB hit — on Mahomes a couple years ago. But the tragic part was he threw a touchdown before I hit him, so he does a lot of things with the ball.

“Obviously, what he can do — when I started seeing him in the offseason practicing running backwards and throwing the ball, I knew the league was in trouble. So the stuff he does on the field is pretty crazy. But I think we’ve gotten some pretty good looks at it with Lamar, but, obviously, it’ll be a little different when it’s live bullets.”

The accomplishments of Kansas City and its quarterback would make a victory for Baltimore on Sunday an even bigger feat than normal for a conference-championship game, Humphrey said.

“It would be huge,” Humphrey said on Thursday. “I’m just super excited to, hopefully, get out there. To beat them, for this city, for the fans — it’s been electric. I feel like the fans, they always talk about, ‘This moment. This moment. This is our year. This is our year.’ And to finally get here, to be able to have it in M&T Bank Stadium, in front of our fans, in our home colors, it’s a really exciting moment. …

“It’s just really special. All the things about it – the defending Chiefs, Mahomes, our fans – it’s so many things aligning. I think it’s just going to take everyone’s best foot forward to beat this team.”

Humphrey said “hopefully” about his participation in Sunday’s game because he hasn’t played since sustaining a calf injury in a 56-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 31.

Humphrey practiced twice on a limited basis this week before being listed as a full participant in Friday’s practice. His status for Sunday’s game is designated as “questionable.”

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said on Friday he was “confident” Humphrey would play, but added he couldn’t say “for sure.”

A former Hoover High School and Alabama standout, Humphrey missed the first four games of the 2023 season after having foot surgery during training camp, two more November games because of a calf injury and the regular-season finale and last week’s 34-10 playoff victory over the Houston Texans with the current calf injury.

“It’d be great to have Marlon back,” Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald said about the prospect of having the three-time Pro Bowler back in the lineup. “You think just about the season he’s had. It’s had a lot of adversity. It’s been different than his experiences in years past. If he is ready to come back, it’d be awesome just to see it and be back and feel like he can contribute physically on game day.”