The Ravens beat the Steelers. The Bills beat the Broncos. And with that, an epic clash between the two MVP frontrunners in the most hotly contested MVP debate in recent memory is set for the Divisional round. Buffalo will host Baltimore, with the winner punching a ticket to the AFC Championship against either Kansas City or Houston.
After dominating the Broncos to the tune of a 31-7 butt kicking, Josh Allen was asked about for his immediate thoughts about the upcoming rematch of Buffalo’s worst game of the season.
“They got after us earlier this year, so we’ve got a lot of film to watch. It’s a great team. It’s a great quarterback, Lamar [Jackson]. What he’s able to do, he’s one of the most dynamic, if not the most dynamic quarterback in the league. He’s so fun to watch, but I’ll be watching their defense this week. So that’s our focus.”
Allen is accurate in everything that he said. Their previous matchup with Baltimore went very poorly. Buffalo lost 35-10, their defense had no answers for Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, and Allen and the offense struggled mightily to move the ball.
Stopping the Baltimore run game was the biggest obstacle in their previous matchup, and it remains the biggest question that the defense will have to answer. In their clash earlier this season, Henry ran for 199 yards and a touchdown, including one long gallop early in the game to get the momentum going for Baltimore.
Unsurprisingly, Baltimore led the league in rushing yards per game with 193.1, and had the highest yard per carry average at 5.8. They showcased it in the Wild Card round against Pittsburgh, looking like an unstoppable unit early in the game on their way to cruising to a 21-0 lead by halftime.
Stopping an option play where Jackson can pull it and use his speed to the outside, or he can hand it off to a 250 lbs running back with pull-away speed on an inside run is a cheat code that the rest of the NFL should not have allowed to happen in free agency. If you over-commit to stopping Henry, Jackson takes off. If you try to stay home on Jackson, Henry will punish you up the middle. Very rarely this season did that battery fail to be successful.
Everyone will have their popcorn ready, and head coach Sean McDermott knows it. When asked about the upcoming matchup between Jackson and Allen, he said “this is what everyone is waiting for.”
Jackson and Allen are rare talents, both of whom are on Hall of Fame trajectories. It’s truly a special time in the NFL, and in the AFC in particular. This game has the makings of something special. It will be a huge week of preparation for defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and head coach Sean McDermott, as the Bills will try to keep the good vibes going at home for another week.
Josh Allen and the Bills offense showed they have what it takes to finally reach their Super Bowl goals
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