The rivalry between Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen is real.
Jackson and Allen, the top two front-runners to be crowned MVP this season, are both preparing for one of the most highly anticipated divisional-round matchups in recent NFL history as the Ravens are set to visit the Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. The game is just the latest chapter of two careers that will forever be intertwined.
Both quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft with seven combined Pro Bowl nods. And while Jackson has taken home two MVP awards, both players entered the playoffs in the same position—determined to steer their teams to the Super Bowl for the first time this year.
A handful of days before kickoff at Highmark Stadium, Jackson didn’t send the typical quarterback niceties over to Allen while speaking to reporters about the big matchup.
“When we’re older, we’ll probably laugh about it. But right now it’s serious,” Jackson said of his rivalry with Allen. “I ain’t laughing with you.”
“I don’t really chill with people in the offseason, especially not other QBs,” Jackson said. “… Don’t get me wrong. There’s no problem, but we’re competing against each other. Like, I’m trying to beat you. I’m not trying to be your friend.”
Allen appears to have a similar mindset when discussing playing against Jackson this weekend.
“In the history of football, I’ve never really played against another quarterback. I’ve played against their defense,”Allen said. “Just taking it one day at a time. Trying to have a good week of practice. Controlling what I can control. It’s attitude and effort.”
Jackson and Allen have gone head-to-head four times in their careers, with both taking two games apiece. The Bills, however, got the best of Baltimore the last time these teams clashed in the playoffs—a 17–3 win on Jan. 16, 2021 in the divisional round.
Jackson is hoping for a different outcome Sunday in Buffalo.
“We’re just trying to win,” he said Wednesday. “That’s a tough environment, tough team—offense, defense, special teams. We’re just trying to go there and win.”
