Lamar Jackson v Josh Allen: how two geniuses somehow got even better
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The quarterbacks are the NFL’s puppet masters, manipulating defenses in a way that is borderline unprecedented. Three AFC playoff games. Three blowouts. It’s a good job the league dropped the “Super” part from their Wildcard Weekend sales pitch.
![[Jayden Daniels holds off Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey during his team’s win on Sunday night.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/efc3bfb259c00a5b4e9f15c20fdc10387f09a567/0_284_6639_3985/master/6639.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
But within those blowouts was something magical, the appetizer to what should be the tastiest main course of the season: Lamar Jackson and the Ravens against Josh Allen’s Bills in a win-or-go-home, be-crowned-or-memed, MVP-off in the divisional round this coming weekend.
![[Justin Herbert was faced with tough questions after a subpar performance on Saturday.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/70d52549040e8f5fa75483102bad864af40bc578/0_187_5636_3384/master/5636.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Taken together, Jackson and Allen completed 36 of 47 passes, for 447 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions in the wildcard round. And this against two of the most fearsome defensive fronts in the NFL. No one has hunted quarterbacks this season like the Broncos, and no one brings four All-Pro caliber pass-rushers to the party like the Steelers.
![[Mike Tomlins’s Steelers had another tough playoff exit.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/64a745f53e5476774d096997a6ed5f853e7de19d/0_152_4596_2758/master/4596.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
It didn’t matter. By the advanced metrics, we saw two of the most efficient, impressive quarterback performances of the season. Jackson completed 12.8% more of his passes than expected against the Steelers on Saturday, according to Next Gen Stats. Not to be outdone, Allen completed 16.5% of his passes over expectation against the Broncos on Sunday.
In one sense, part of the joy in comparing Allen and Jackson is how similar they are. The way their legs change the math of the game, how they challenge defenses and orchestrate complicated offenses. They have mastered the details that excite the nerds, but at any point, they are a threat to drop a supernova highlight that overwhelms the TikTok servers.
