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On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills’ 31-7 win over the Denver Broncos sent them to their fifth divisional round in the last five years, and this time, it feels a lot different.
Instead of Kansas City Chiefs gunslinger Patrick Mahomes or Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow standing in the way, it’s Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson.
Allen and Jackson are Facing the Same Heat
Jackson and Bills quarterback Josh Allen were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, making them two of the best four quarterbacks in the league.
Since 2021, Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, and Burrow have been among the NFL’s Top Four signal-callers. Mahomes is the most successful player, with three Super Bowl rings.
Burrow reached the Super Bowl in his second season, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, but Jackson and Allen have never made it to the big stage.
Jackson, 28, has won two NFL MVP awards but has a losing postseason record of 3-4.
The Ravens quarterback once appeared in the AFC title but lost last year to Kansas City.
Jackson is trying to end his postseason streak of losing big-time games, and Allen is trying to achieve the same goal.
It’s no secret that both quarterbacks are under pressure to win two more AFC playoff games and advance to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.
Either Allen or Jackson will see their postseason dreams continue, while the other will be the main topic of every national sports talk show on Monday morning.
The MVP Race
Allen and Jackson are going against each other this season in the MVP race, and Allen is the heavy favorite to bring home the award, with Jackson in second right behind him.
Individual awards are outstanding, but both quarterbacks are looking for more than personal success, and it starts this upcoming Sunday.
The Ravens and Bills met in Baltimore in Week 4 this season, and the Ravens defeated Buffalo 35-10.
This time is different because Buffalo is at home. This season, it went a perfect 8-0 at Highmark Stadium.
The only issue is that Buffalo has been the home team in the divisional round for the last two years and has lost both to the Bengals and the Chiefs. They are trying to avoid the same mistake.
Allen is Facing More Pressure Than Jackson
Allen also faces the most pressure of any quarterback to win a Super Bowl, even more than Jackson.
While Jackson has been lighting up the league the past few seasons and needs a Super Bowl ring for his goal, Allen is trying to achieve a ring for himself and the entire city that has never won the big game.
Baltimore has only been a team since 1996 but has experienced two Super Bowl victories.
The Ravens won in 2000 and 2012, and current head coach John Harbaugh was a significant factor in the 2012 victory.
We already know Baltimore has what it takes to win a Super Bowl, from the top of their organization to their head coach. Jackson will break through one day, but we have never seen anything like this from the Bills.
Buffalo joined the NFL in 1970, and since then, it has been to four Super Bowls, which came in four straight years (1991-1994), but it couldn’t finish the job.
Allen is pressured to carry a city that has never won a Super Bowl and is trying to save Sean McDermott’s job.
McDermott is great and has led the Bills to seven playoff appearances since becoming head coach in 2017. However, he still can’t win the big game in January.
We have seen no evidence of the 50-year-old head coach’s ability to win and get to the Super Bowl. If Buffalo fails to reach an AFC title game, the organization will question whether McDermott is the right guy to continue this job.
Allen has way more at stake than Jackson in this matchup, and if Buffalo can’t win, it will feel like the Bills will never be able to get out of the AFC the way they are currently constructed.
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