Just Happy to Have Eyes

THE, matchup. It’s the one we’ve all been waiting for. Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson. MVP vs. MVP. Super Bowl favorite vs. Super Bowl favorite. But let’s not just isolate two players, great as they may be. There are two hungry teams here that deserve an equal recognition to their quarterbacks. The prevailing story is that the winner of this game will be the one to beat the Chiefs, and I sort of align with that thinking. But let’s see who comes out on top before we start thinking about the AFC Championship game.

The Ravens look good, but they’ve looked good all playoffs and regular season. Lamar is a huge reason for that, but let’s give Baltimore’s supporting cast some love. They got two first team All-Pro selections on offense alone, those being Lamar, and fullback Patrick Ricard. Then there’s Isaiah Likely, Mark Andrews, Derrick Henry, (who’s second team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler), Justice Hill and Rashod Bateman. They also have Zay Flowers, who is doubtful due to a knee injury. Now let’s move to defense, where they also have two first team All-Pro selections there as well. That core is made up of LB Roquan Smith, and CB Marlon Humphrey. That’s before you get to second team All-Pro and Pro Bowler Kyle Hamilton, Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike, Nate Wiggins, Kyle Van Noy, and Trenton Simpson. This team can play on offense and defense. They easily handled Pittsburgh last week, defeating them 28-14. They now face a much better Bills team. I think this is going to be one hell of a shootout. A lot of good offense, not bad defense, just defense that will not be able to keep up with these offenses. I think both teams know they can come back, or hold a lead, but I think the key to this game will be who can contain the extension of plays better. Both QBs love using their legs, Lamar glides a little bit better than Allen, but both are extremely effective in doing that. Jackson will need to continue to do that against this Bills defense, as it will keep a spy closer to the line, leaving less defenders out in coverage. They’ll be so worried about Jackson running, they may forget to cover their man. If Lamar can extend those plays and not turn the ball over, Baltimore will be putting up points. Problem is, their opponent can do the same.

Buffalo is one game away from squaring off against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game again. They just need to get through these pesky Ravens. And by pesky, I mean relentlessly versatile and effective on offense and defense. The Bills had a little bit of a shaky start against Denver last week, but they handled business quickly, taking down the Broncos 31-7. Josh Allen was 20/26 with 272 yards and 2 TDs. 0 INTs. The guy is a robot. He hit eight different receivers, had 46 yards on the ground, and never turned the ball over in a dominant performance. Playoff experience may play a factor in this game. The Bills have never won a Super Bowl and haven’t won an AFC Championship game since 1994. They haven’t been to an AFC Championship game since 2020. They lost to the Chiefs. But the Ravens lost to the Chiefs last year in the AFC Championship game. I’m trying to not make this about this Chiefs, but both teams will be thinking about them as they play each other. And they both have recent playoff experience; they just haven’t been able to get over that hump. For the Bills, it’s been 31 years since their last Super Bowl visit, and for the Ravens, it’s been 13 years. There’s enough motivation for both teams; they just must get through each other. If I’m Buffalo, I’m still playing my game that got me here. Let Josh Allen make plays and be lockdown on defense. Derrick Henry will be there to contend with, so they must tackle all four quarters. And they can’t get lazy in the pass game. Try to limit Baltimore, don’t put yourself in a position where you have to catch up. I’m giving no prediction for this game, I’m just happy to watch.

POSTGAME:

As I predicted, this was a great game between two All-Pro QBs. A real NFL classic. Josh Allen was Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson was Lamar Jackson. It was amazing to watch the new generation of star QBs battle it out. Each possession being more important than the last, no room for errors, time constantly dwindling. The Bills would ultimately come away with this game due to an unfortunate drop from Mark Andrews on a 2-point conversion, but let’s hold off on the Andrews slander for a moment.

I love Lamar. I love the way he plays; I love the way he moves, how relaxed and gifted he is, it is a joy to watch as a fan of the game. The knock on Jackson is that he can’t finish in the playoffs. Now, Lamar played a pretty much spotless game, going 18/25 for 254 yards passing and 2 TDs. The blemishes on that performance were an INT and a fumble, both coming from Lamar. This would consequently turn into 7 extra points for the Bills. I know mistakes happen and are part of the game. But you can’t be turning the ball over in that way. Against this team. In the playoffs. Every drive matters, and every mistake has that much more impact. Those were two huge mistakes that put the Ravens in a deeper hole than they wanted to be. It’s not all Lamar’s fault at all, but those two are on him for sure. However, Mark Andrews had the most public and maybe costly mistakes of the game. Second to last drive, Lamar hits Andrews for 16 yards, only for the ball to be punched out and recovered by Buffalo. At that point, the Bills would drive down the field and kick a FG, turning a 24-19 game, into a 27-19 game. So, now you’re down eight points instead of five. Ok, no big deal. Jackson drives his team down the field and scores right after the two-minute warning. Decision time. Go for two and tie it up? Or kick a FG and hopefully hold out. Had to go for two with barely any time left. Lamar finds Andrews WIDE OPEN in the corner of the endzone, delivers a pass right between the numbers, only for it to be dropped and the Ravens lose right there. Not even contested, not potential foul calls, wide open play. Dropped. I would not want to be Mark Andrews right now. The Ravens could’ve extended this game to OT, but they couldn’t. I can’t pin this on Lamar or Andrews, it’s a team game. But both had costly turnovers and drops that led to a loss. I think as we move to the AFC Championship, America will have a team in mind they’d like to move on. Buffalo finally gets their shot at redemption. Baltimore has to wait another year.