Allen v Jackson - the NFL play-off 'everybody wanted'

Josh Allen was the seventh pick of the 2018 draft and Lamar Jackson the 32nd

NFL play-offs

Dates: 10-26 January 2025

BBC coverage: Live text coverage of every match on the BBC Sport website and app, and live radio commentary of selected games on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, with Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday (from 19:55 GMT)

It is not often the leading contenders for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award meet in the post-season.

But wins for Buffalo and Baltimore last week set up a mouth-watering match-up for this weekend's Divisional Round.

The Bills' Josh Allen and the Ravens' Lamar Jackson have been two of the NFL's best quarterbacks since both were drafted in 2018.

This season the 28-year-olds have gone to another level as they aim to reach their first Super Bowl.

Now they get to showcase their talents head-to-head on Sunday, for a place in the final four of this season's NFL play-offs.

"It's what everybody has been waiting for, right?" said Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott.

How well have Allen and Jackson played this season?

Buffalo finished the regular season with a 13-4 record to secure the second seed in the AFC Conference, while Baltimore (12-5) claimed the third seed.

They were two of the top-three scoring teams, led by two of the NFL's most exciting players, and both they and their teams seem to be at their peak.

Along with Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Allen and Jackson epitomise the new breed of dual-threat quarterbacks, who are comfortable running the ball as well as passing it.

And this season they have racked up milestones and records, with Jackson becoming the all-time leader for rushing yards by a quarterback.

He has also claimed career-best passing stats across the board - even better than when he won his second MVP last season - finishing second in the league for both touchdown passes and fewest interceptions.

While Jackson has rushed for more yards in his career, Allen has rushed for more touchdowns and - combined with passes - he has become the first NFL player to record five straight 40-touchdown seasons.

This season Allen has not posted career-best passing numbers, but he has been far more efficient, showing better decision-making and ball protection.

Allen has given up the fewest interceptions, sacks and fumbles in his career, and helped Buffalo beat the number one seed in each Conference - Kansas City and the Detroit Lions.

Who is favourite to win NFL MVP?

Allen went clear in the MVP race with a superb run at the start of December. It began in the snow against San Francisco, when he became the first quarterback to score a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game.

The following week he became the first player to score three passing and three rushing touchdowns in the same game, then he became the first player with at least two passing and two rushing TDs in consecutive games.

Over Baltimore's past four games, Jackson passed for 12 touchdowns, becoming the first player to reach 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards in the same season.

A panel of 50 broadcasters/journalists then named Jackson as the first-team All-Pro quarterback, which does not bode well for Allen.

The last time the first-team All-Pro quarterback was not also MVP was 1987. The same panel selects the MVP, but Allen remains the slight favourite.

Votes are cast at the end of the regular season so Sunday's game will have no bearing on the winner, which is announced during Super Bowl week.

While who had the best season is hard to call, Allen's advocates argue he is more valuable to Buffalo than Jackson is to Baltimore.

The Bills traded their top receiver in the off-season while the Ravens signed one of the league's best running backs in Derrick Henry.

Henry rushed for 1,921 yards - second to Saquon Barkley - and Baltimore's receiving group is stronger than Buffalo's, putting more onus on Allen to get the job done.

The Ravens also had six All-Pro selections compared with Buffalo's one - Allen. As Bills receiver Khalil Shakir puts it, "we go as he goes".

Jackson and Mahomes are the only active players to have won MVP. Is it time for Allen to join them?

Why are Allen and Jackson yet to reach a Super Bowl?

Baltimore and Buffalo have dominated their respective divisions since drafting Jackson and Allen, yet they have not managed to reach a Super Bowl.

In the Ravens' case, they have struggled to carry their form into the post-season. Last week's win over Pittsburgh was just Jackson's third from seven play-off games.

Allen has fared better (6–5), but both teams have the misfortune of being in the same Conference as the Kansas City Chiefs and their quarterback star, Mahomes.

The Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in five years, and ended Buffalo's play-off hopes in three of the past four. They even knocked out both the Bills and Ravens last year.

Buffalo beat Baltimore in Allen's only previous post-season clash with Jackson in 2021. They have a 2-2 record overall, with the Bills losing 35-10 at the Ravens in September.

Henry had a season-best 199 rushing yards that day, and 186 last week. This season he was tied with Buffalo's James Cook for the most rushing touchdowns (16) but Henry had almost twice as many yards.

Baltimore have the NFL's best rushing offence so the Bills' ability to stop the run will be key. They even signed Jackson's former back-up Anthony Brown, who has a similar playing style, to their practice squad this week to help them prepare.

If the Bills can halt the Ravens' run game, Allen could attack through the air as only one team has allowed more passing yards than Baltimore.

Being the higher seed, Buffalo have home advantage. The temperature is forecast to be just below freezing with 40% chance of snow, another factor which makes this the most-anticipated play-off game in years.

Chiefs continue quest for historic 'three-peat'

Kansas City could again be lying in wait for the winner of Sunday's game, as the two-time defending champions host the Houston Texans on Saturday.

Last season the Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since Tom Brady's New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005. They now aim to become the first to win three straight.

They have been underwhelming for much of the season, with 11 of their 15 wins being one-score games, although that also demonstrates their knack of finding a way to win.

Having already secured the AFC's top seed, they rested their main starters for the end of the regular season so Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce will have had 24 days of rest between games - a new record.

Houston (10-7) beat the Los Angeles Chargers last week, meaning quarterback CJ Stroud has reached the Divisional Round in each of his first two seasons, but freezing temperatures are also expected in Kansas City.

Rams showing resilience after LA wildfires

Quarterback Jayden Daniels is set to succeed Stroud as Offensive Rookie of the Year having transformed Washington from a 4-13 record to 12-5 this term.

He then led the Commanders to a last-gasp win at Tampa Bay last week, their first play-off victory since 2006 and making them the only away team to win on Wildcard Weekend.

They now visit the NFC's top seed Detroit, who had the league's joint-best record with Kansas City (15-2), and like the Chiefs, they too have found a way to keep grinding out wins.

At one point the Lions had 16 players out injured but the bye week has given them extra time to recover, with David Montgomery set to renew his 'Sonic and Knuckles' partnership with fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) were booed at home while leading last week, and despite beating Green Bay, the Philly fans will hope for an improved performance at home to the Los Angeles Rams, which you can follow live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds (from 19:55 GMT).

The Rams (10-7) have been inspired by LA's response to the wildfires that forced last week's wildcard game to be relocated to Phoenix, Arizona.

After fires near the Rams' training facility, the team travelled three days before the game and more than 52,000 Rams fans also made the trip for Monday's emotional win over Minnesota, which defensive lineman Kobie Turner said "felt like a home game".

"Their support meant a lot," he told BBC Sport. "You see people who are hurting and in need. But then you see people who are giving back and volunteering, and you gain a lot of strength from that.

"Everybody else got to see the resiliency of this team and I'm excited [for Sunday]."

NFL play-off schedule - Divisional Round

Saturday, 18 January

• AFC - Houston Texans (4) at Kansas City Chiefs (1) - 21:30 GMT

• NFC - Washington Commanders (6) at Detroit Lions (1) - 01:15 GMT (Sunday)

Sunday, 19 January

• NFC - Los Angeles Rams (4) at Philadelphia Eagles (2) - 20:00 GMT

• AFC - Baltimore Ravens (3) at Buffalo Bills (2) - 23:30 GMT