The duels between Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson could shape the NFL for years to come. Would Joe Burrow stand up the Bengals? And what are the Jaguars doing? All that and more in this week's 10-Point Stance.

1. Welcome to the NFL's new age

The Super Bowl not only marked the crowning of a new champion. Based on the reaction of some of those in the game, this past Sunday also saw the coronation of a new leading man in the NFL: Pat Mahomes.

Chiefs players spoke glowingly of their quarterback, which was to be expected. More fascinating was the reaction of the 49ers players. There was anger and sadness over losing, but defensive players were also clearly impressed by what they saw Mahomes do in the final minutes of the game.

It left many with a sense that something in the NFL had shifted. That we were leaving one era dominated by Tom Brady and entering a new one, the Mahomes Millennium. There was an inevitability to it all, that we are now entering a period in which Mahomes will dominate the league, like a Tyrannosaurus during the Cretaceous Period.

(I said Tyrannosaurus, not Tyrann Mathieu, though I'm sure he would have dominated the Cretaceous, too.)

But lost amid the hype in Miami is a player, and a team, from a city where the crab cakes are lush and the quarterback likes to rush.

In other words, let's not forget about quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens.

None of this is to say that Mahomes isn't the face of the league or, arguably, the most important player. Both of those things might be true.

That's not the point. The point is more that in this era of short memories and instant football gratification, we tend to forget things. Like how Mahomes and Jackson could have the makings of a 21st century Brady-Peyton Manning narrative. The two best, dueling and scrapping, setting record books on fire.

While Mahomes was the Super Bowl MVP only a season after he threw 50 touchdown passes, Jackson was named the league's unanimous MVP this year. Only Jim Brown, who was twice the MVP in the late 1950s, was a younger winner of the award. Jackson was the first player in NFL history with at least 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in a season. 

That sets up the Chiefs and Ravens perfectly for what could be an intense and long rivalry. They are both young and stacked with talent, and they have excellent coaching staffs.

In fact, you can't find a better potential future rivalry.

Mahomes himself even knows it. When he was asked at his Super Bowl press conference if he was the face of the league, he instantly pivoted to Jackson.

"There are several guys that can be the face of the NFL," he said. "I mean, Lamar was the unanimous MVP, and he had one of the best seasons of all time at the quarterback position. There's guys like that every single year."

Well, not every year. There are few talents like Mahomes and Jackson.

Remember them both.

2. Bird vs. Magic II

With so many good young quarterbacks in football now, a number of rivalries could begin intensifying soon. Just look at some of the names: Deshaun Watson, Josh Allen, Carson Wentz, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo.

But no rivalry has the potential to shape the NFL for years like Mahomes against Jackson. 

The Ravens are committed to making Jackson their franchise QB long-term, and he has shown, repeatedly, that he can handle the rigors of NFL quarterbacking. Mahomes has proved he's not only more than a one-year wonder but also potentially a transformative player at the position.

That, in turn, could make the AFC playoffs look a little like the late-1990s/early-2000s NBA playoffs, which were dominated by the Spurs and Lakers. From 1999-2005, one of those teams appeared in every NBA Finals.

There's another NBA comparison that applies: the individual rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Given the overwhelming popularity of the NFL and the highly entertaining manner in which Jackson and Mahomes play, it's not impossible that these two QBs could create a rivalry that transcends the sport. (And the fact that both Jackson and Mahomes play like point guards in a sense helps, too.)

Yes, I'm getting a tad ahead of myself, but we just watched Mahomes reach a Super Bowl and Jackson take a big step toward getting there.

This season was enough to show the idea isn't merely science fiction.

3. Bigger than the game

One final note on Mahomes. People who know him well, including teammates, have been telling me for some time just how special he is, and they didn't mean solely on the field. They meant as a person, and they were right.

He just gets it. There are few guys his age (24) in the NFL who do. His press conferences all week leading up to Super Bowl LIV were gems, revealing someone who knows he represents more than himself. Mahomes clearly understands his role as a leader in the sport and takes it seriously. He's mature, funny and smart. Jackson appears to be all those things, too.

In other words, the league is in good quarterback hands.

4. Missed opportunities

So now that the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years, can they repeat?

The short answer: Of course they can. They're that good.

One NFC East assistant coach added that beyond the obvious talent on the roster, the brain drain that often afflicts title teams on the coaching front may not be as severe in Kansas City this offseason.

That isn't because the Chiefs assistants aren't worthy, mind you, but that no teams saw fit to hire them.

Like offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. He should be a head coach in this league, and though he has had a few interviews, he isn't. That leaves the Chiefs with one of the more innovative minds in the sport.

And that bodes well for their odds of repeating.

5. The 49ers aren't dead

Yes, the Niners lost. But according to that same NFC East assistant, their future is pretty bright, too. San Francisco could be dominant for some time, the coach said, adding that Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan reminds him of a younger version of Marv Levy, who took the Bills to four straight Super Bowls.

"I could argue," this coach said, "that [the 49ers] are the most talented team in football."

Yes, the 49ers will be back—if not next year, then soon.

6. Proud papa

What makes Ed McCaffrey, the father of Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, most proud when he watches his son dominate the NFL, as he did this past season while leading the league in total yards?

"He has loved football since I can remember," McCaffrey, who partnered with Ticketmaster, the official ticketing partner of the NFL, told me. "He's doing what he loves. That's what makes me proud."

Did father, who spent 13 years in the NFL as a wide receiver with the Giants, Niners and Broncos, think son would be so good?

"From the first time he started playing football, he was scoring seven or eight touchdowns a game," Ed said. "You never know how things will turn out, but he's been doing things like this since I can remember."

And there's a good chance he'll keep doing them for a long time.

7. Undecided

As far as I can tell—and I've asked numerous people around the league—no one has a clue what Tom Brady, now a free agent, is going to do. I mean, Brady does, but no one else.

And don't believe anyone who says they do.

It's all still a mystery, one we may not be able to answer for weeks.

8. No Joe Blow

The biggest lock of the year isn't that Star Trek: Picard will win 17 Emmy Awards (it should, and I know it won't, but no one asked your opinion, thank you very much); it's that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow will be the first pick in the draft.

That, in all likelihood, will make him a member of the Bengals. As tempting as it may be for Burrow to pull a John Elway or an Eli Manning and refuse to play for the team most likely to draft him, most teams around the league don't think he'll do that.

He should, though. But that's a different story for another time.

9. A little curious

The Jaguars announced this week that they will play consecutive home games in London next season, which has some in the NFL wondering about the team's end game.

The theory I keep hearing is that this plan is part of a slow-motion relocation. I'm not sure I buy that, and it is something the Jaguars have long denied.

Still, the announcement is odd, and in many ways, it's a giant middle finger to Jaguars fans who will have two fewer games to attend than most teams.

10. A job well done

Congratulations, Miami. You threw one hell of a Super Bowl. It was splendidly run and featured gorgeous weather and a fantastic game.

I ate so much sushi my mercury levels actually rival those of an old-fashioned thermometer.

But it was worth it.

Thanks, Miami. 

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @mikefreemanNFL.