It was widely understood that the Denver Broncos were not legitimate competition for the Buffalo Bills. Led by the cyborg known as Josh Allen, this year’s possible MVP winner, Buffalo is a seasoned fixture of postseason experience. It is a mainstay of the greater Super Bowl contender conversation.
If the upstart Broncos, likely a year away from challenging superpowers like the Bills, had admitted they were just happy to be there, not a single soul would’ve batted an eyelash. Progress is progress, right?
From this perspective, the Bills’ 31-7 systematic dismantling of the Broncos felt perfunctory. The Bills outscored Denver by a 21-0 second-half margin. They outgained the Broncos by over a two-to-one disparity. They converted over half of their third downs and ran for over 200 yards against the NFL’s No. 1 defense on an expected points added (EPA) per play basis.
In essence, all we learned about the Bills in a laugher is that they won’t play with their food this postseason.
The other much larger takeaway is that Sunday’s dominant victory over the Broncos merely served as a warmup. It’s an appetizer to next weekend’s matchup of elite MVP candidates between Allen and the Baltimore Ravens’ electric dynamo, Lamar Jackson. One could even argue that the Ravens’ cruise of a win over Mike Tomlin’s hapless Pittsburgh Steelers served a similar purpose for everyone’s favorite purple birds.
Next weekend is when the real postseason begins for two focused, talented, and well-coached football teams capable of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next month. At the risk of being too earnest, dearest readers, let me make one thing clear.
What a treat.
Before we dive headfirst into Allen vs. Jackson very soon, let’s allow nothing to get lost in the weeds over the next week. Let’s dispel some pre-set narratives and make some rules to allow the NFL’s game of the year (so far) to breathe and get its proper limelight without losing sight of the bigger picture.
Narrative No. 1: While yes, this is technically Allen vs. Jackson, and yes, it’s easier for the NFL to market two great quarterbacks alongside one another as the faces of a playoff matchup for casual observers, let’s remember this isn’t really Allen vs. Jackson. This is Allen against the Ravens’ defense and Jackson against the Bills’ defense. They will never share the field. Keep that context in mind as these two signal-callers try to outduel one another — the actual appeal of this game.
Narrative No. 2: Whatever happens in Bills vs. Ravens, it is not a referendum of any sort on the MVP race.
Voting for this year’s MVP award was completed weeks ago. It is a regular-season honor based on regular-season accomplishments, through and through. We have the Super Bowl MVP distinction for the postseason and the last NFL team standing for good reason. While knowing that the mentioned No. 1 narrative here still applies, please do not use the outcome as criteria for the MVP because it won’t make sense.
Rule No. 1: Allen’s and Jackson’s individual greatness is allowed to exist simultaneously.
This is almost self-explanatory. Allen and Jackson can be appreciated for their unique personal styles of quarterback play without the other being needlessly torn down on a manner of preference or emotional bias. Jackson is not clearly better than Allen because he’s a smarter, more elusive runner compared to Allen’s “Mack Truck in the open field” approach. Allen is not clearly better than Jackson because of his ability to improvise deep-rocket throws out of thin air compared to Jackson’s surgical, nuanced, and precision passing. Both quarterbacks are exceptional. Both are Hall of Fame-caliber generational talents who happen to share the same era of pro football.
Full stop.
Rule No. 2: Most importantly, no one is allowed to tout Bills vs. Ravens as the “real Super Bowl” of these playoffs. So, tread lightly.
Folks, whoever wins this game likely must travel to Kansas City to play Patrick Mahomes in late January. If they somehow get through that gauntlet, then juggernauts like the Detroit Lions or Philadelphia Eagles might await them in the Super Bowl. No, no. This is a massive matchup between Allen and Jackson with a berth in the AFC title game on the line, but nothing more.
I, for one, think having two of the three best players in the sport square off in do-or-die football is more than enough.
The suspense is terrible. With all due respect to Bills and Ravens fans, I hope it lasts.
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