You can win every individual award under the sun—as Lamar Jackson has—but until you get that Super Bowl ring, you’re simply in a lesser class than those who have reached the pinnacle. That’s how it is in the NFL, and in most sports. MVPs and All-Pro nods are nice (Jackson has two of the former and three of the latter), but Jackson can’t hold a candle to guys like Patrick Mahomes just yet. If he wants to get involved in those “greatest of our generation” debates, he needs to win the Super Bowl. And he needs to do it this year.
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That’s what ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes. When asked whether this Divisional matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills meant more to Jackson or Josh Allen, Smith was adamant that it’s Jackson’s time right now. Smith said that while Jackson is great currently, his greatness has not been “cemented” like it has for Mahomes.
“With Lamar Jackson, you talk about a two-time league MVP, and he’s the only two-time league MVP of the nine in NFL history not to win a Super Bowl championship… If he overcomes [Mahomes and Allen] with the greatness that he already possesses and what he brings to the table, I don’t think there’s any question that there will be a new narrative created about Lamar Jackson, and we’ll be mentioning him in the same breath as Mahomes.”
Smith noted that both Allen and Mahomes have already beaten Jackson in the playoffs. They represent obstacles, “impediments” to Jackson’s success. Getting over that hump will be crucial for changing the narrative around him.
And it does make sense that you could mention Jackson in the same breath as Mahomes if he does beat him in the AFC Championship and then go on to a Super Bowl victory over the likes of the Detroit Lions or Philadelphia Eagles.
Lamar Jackson will be too much for the Buffalo defense
Following Smith’s take, Dan Orlovsky laid out a couple of arguments for Allen, though he missed the point of the question a little bit. First, he mentioned the fact that Allen could bring his franchise its first-ever Super Bowl trophy, while Jackson’s Ravens have already won two in their less than 30-year history. Additionally, the lack of support Allen got this year should not be overlooked.
“If we context this performance this season for Josh, he’s the first QB in 15 seasons to have the opportunity to go win this Super Bowl and not have a player outside of himself in First or Second-Team All-Pro. The context of this season and the accomplishments of what that would represent is a big deal… I lean towards Josh having to get that monkey off his back, Steve Young style.”
Orlovsky made good points to support why the Bills are a great underdog story. But that’s just what they are: an underdog story. They’ve got no All-Pros and are underdogs at home in the playoffs. They’re not supposed to be here. So this isn’t quite a legacy game for Allen like it is for Lamar, who is coming in with the best Ravens team he’s ever played with.
The Ravens seem unstoppable running the ball, they’ve had the best defense in football over the last two months since Kyle Hamilton’s shift to deep safety, and Lamar Jackson seems like he’s never looked more comfortable with his pass-run balance. Allen will need a Herculean effort to win this game. The Bills really should be larger underdogs than the +1.0 point spread they’re getting now, so hop on that Ravens moneyline.
