2 of NFL’s Best Young Quarterbacks, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, Meet in Week 4

Josh Allen No. 17 of the Buffalo Bills reacts after a first down during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Sept. 23, 2024. Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, changing the fortunes of their respective franchises.

Allen has led the Buffalo Bills to three victories to start the 2024 NFL season and leads the NFL with nine offensive touchdowns—seven passing and two rushing.

Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP who has produced the NFL’s most combined passing and rushing yards (956) over the first three games.

The two dynamic quarterbacks will meet on Sunday night in Baltimore during the weekend’s most anticipated game. Allen looks forward to his matchup with Jackson, whom he lauded for his prowess as a dual-threat quarterback.

“I think he is an inspiration to a lot of people in this country,” Allen said during his weekly press conference on Wednesday. “The way that he plays the game, the doubters that he had coming out, and then for him to show the resiliency and the work ethic and the attitude to go forward and win two MVPs. He’s really changed the way that I think guys play the game, but make no mistake about it, he can throw the snot out of the football, and got a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him.”

Last season, Allen led the NFL in both total touchdowns (44) and yards passing (4,830). He has maintained that momentum this season, throwing for 634 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Bills have dominated their opponents over the first three games, averaging an NFL-best 37.3 points. Allen has been the catalyst for that success and has done a solid job speaking around the ball and completing passes to 10 different players.

The Ravens have spent the week focused on containing Allen.

“Well I mean Josh Allen—pretty much everybody that watches football in this league understands those challenges that he poses,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said at the Ravens’ Wednesday press conference.

“He’s one of the very best in the business at what he does. He’s unique; he plays his style; he does it his way. They build the offense certainly around him [and] all the attributes that he has—throwing, running, running the offense, the read stuff [and] reading things out in terms of the passing game—he throws it to every level.

“And he has a really good cast around him, so [it’ll be a] big challenge.”

Quarterback Lamar Jackson No. 8 of the Baltimore Ravens leaves the field after a win against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 22, 2024. Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The Ravens beat the Cowboys 28–25 to earn their first win of the season. However, there was not much of a celebration because Baltimore squandered a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter. The previous week, the Ravens blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in a 26–23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jackson did his part to help the team, throwing for 702 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He has also run for 254 yards with another score.

He knows the Ravens need to do a better job closing out games. That means getting more first downs to extend potential scoring drives and cutting down on penalties. Baltimore leads the league with 31 infractions.

“I believe when another team is scoring, and we’re just getting off the field and not helping our defense out, that’s the frustrating part,” Jackson said at the Wednesday press conference. “It’s like, ‘We have to do something, too.’ We can’t just let another team look like they’re steamrolling to make a comeback, because it’s happening in the past, and we weren’t trying to let that happen again.”

The key for the Ravens will be to run the ball against the Bills, who are allowing 118.3 rushing yards per game. Last week, Baltimore ran for a season-high 274 yards against Dallas.

Baltimore signed running back Derrick Henry as a free agent this offseason to boost the running attack. Henry ran for 151 yards with two touchdowns against Dallas. Bills coach Sean McDermott said his team will have a solid chance to win if the defense can contain Henry.

“I don’t know that anybody’s ever stopped him,” McDermott said at his Wednesday press conference. “It’s an all-day affair when you have the weapons that they have on offense. They were in full effect against Dallas, and that’s a good team Dallas is. So we’re going to have our work cut out for us.”