Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen: NFL legacy on the line for two QBs in Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills game

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The NFL’s two leading quarterbacks — neither of whom have yet to win a Super Bowl — could be one step closer to that ultimate goal when Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen meet in the Finals.

With the Kansas City Chiefs eyeing an unprecedented third-straight Super Bowl victory, Jackson and Allen are the collateral damage of their five-year-and-counting dynasty.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Jackson and Buffalo Bills QB Allen were both drafted in 2018, a year after the Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes, who suddenly rose to the top of the NFL.

Mahomes has led the Chiefs to four of the last five Super Bowls, and Jackson is tied for league MVP awards over that time (two) and Allen is the favorite to make his first claim this season. Mahomes has often failed where he thrived: in the playoffs.

Jackson is 3-4 in the finals, Allen Touch improved to 6-5 but none of them can catch the flames of Mahomes’ mind-boggling 15-3 record.

One of their records will be improved this weekend when the Jackson Ravens and Allen Bills meet in Buffalo in an AFC Divisional Round matchup – Live on Sky Sports NFLSunday, 11:30 p.m. – Yet another boasts another ‘L’ in the playoff loss column.

“It’s an old game (for Jackson and Allen).” Sky Sports Neil Reynolds spoke on the latest episode of the Inside The Huddle podcast. “They both wrestled in the divisional round and beyond.

“Lamar Jackson is 1-3 in the division or so, and Josh Allen is 1-4.

“Their Super Bowl window is open, but Patrick Mahomes is waiting, ready to spoil all the fun if necessary.

“One of these quarterbacks should have gotten that Super Bowl at some point.”

And of course, Mahomes could be waiting for the winner’s prize again, when the Chiefs host the Houston Texans – Live on Sky Sports NFLSaturday, 9.30 pm – Another division round clash in the AFC.

With Mahomes and Kansas City as the No. 1 seed in the conference and holding such a Super Bowl seed, the 2024 season has been an oddity, scraping 11 of their 15 wins by eight points or less.

They rank 17th in yards per game (327.6) – Baltimore in the division at 424.9 – and 15th in points per game (22.6) behind Buffalo’s second-best 30.9 in the NFL, behind the Ravens at 30.5. .

Sunday’s meeting is the first in game history between two quarterbacks with more than 40 TDs and less than 10 turnovers in a season (Jackson: 45 total TDs, nine giveaways / Allen: 41 total TDs, eight giveaways).

That’s why this divisional round meeting between the pair is so hotly anticipated, although the Chiefs can expect a winner, could the Ravens and/or Bills end up being too powerful for Mahomes and co?

“I think the team that wins this game can win the Super Bowl,” he said. Sky Sports Former Bills coach Phoebe Schechter.

“Both teams have struggled with who they are in the postseason. Lamar and the Ravens made it clear last year that they needed to run the ball more (in the playoff loss to the Chiefs) and we saw the Bills struggle. .

“This game is really hard to pick because both teams are amazing in different ways, and these quarterbacks are huge in big moments.

“It’s funny in Buffalo because they had to rebuild this year. Their defense is my biggest concern, but I’m going with the Bills to win this game.”

Watch the Baltimore Ravens take on the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs, live on Sky Sports NFL on Sunday, starting at 11:30 p.m.