Not Lamar Jackson, Ryan Clark Trusts Josh Allen to Win the Super Bowl in 2026

The betting odds for the winner of Super Bowl LX have long been out, but as the football season continues to draw near, more and more members of both the public and media alike are beginning to take notice. While the two participants from Super Bowl LIX, those being the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia, are naturally listed as the two premier favorites, the analysts over at ESPN are fancying their chances with some of the larger underdogs. 

The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills are currently listed as the next two largest favorites, which prompted the former Pittsburgh Steeler, Ryan Clark, to suggest that it is Josh Allen, rather than Lamar Jackson, who is the more friendly bet.

Even though Patrick Mahomes is an equally large problem for both of them, Clark is adamant that 2026 will bring with it a new AFC Champion. 

“I do believe that this is the year that one of those players gets to a Super Bowl. If I’m being honest, I have more trust in Josh Allen [than Lamar Jackson.] The reason I have more trust in Josh Allen is because I’ve seen him perform on the biggest stages… For me, Lamar Jackson has nothing to prove to me in the regular season… But he has to perform in the playoffs.”

Nevertheless, Clark did maintain that both the Bills and the Ravens are “built to win.” The First Take host himself, Stephen A. Smith, agreed with the sentiment that Jackson has yet to earn the public’s trust when it comes to the postseason. 

However, Smith noted that the two of them will have to contend with a “motivated” Mahomes this season, something that will likely make winning an AFC Championship just that much more difficult than it already is.

Throw in the fact that Joe Burrow is still alive and well, and Smith doesn’t necessarily believe that either of these two quarterbacks is worth betting on just yet. 

“Patrick Mahomes is highly motivated, because when you get stomped in the Super Bowl the way that they did by the Philadelphia Eagles, certainly there’s a lot of amendments to be made… Joe Burrow has been to a Super Bowl, and he beat Patrick Mahomes to get there… I don’t know if either of them will be the case because of not just Patrick Mahomes, but because of Joe Burrow.”

Ultimately, a Bills or Ravens AFC Championship would prove to be historic. The Ravens haven’t seen a conference championship contest since their title run in 2012, more than a decade ago. 

Likewise, it’s been more than 30 years since the Bills have done the same. Buffalo’s last AFC Championship came in 1993, meaning that a good chunk of their younger fanbase wasn’t even born yet. 

Simply put, so long as one of them manages to knock off the defending champions, it’ll be nothing short of an absolute party in the AFC.