Eight teams remain in the hunt to be crowned Champions of Super Bowl LIX. It comes as no surprise that all eight teams field outstanding Quarterbacks who, for the most part, have enjoyed brilliant seasons. The Quarterback Connection provides an analysis below of each game and the role each team’s QB will play in the final outcome.
Make no mistake, winning in the NFL is still dominated by the Quarterback. The last 11 NFL MVPs have been a Quarterback. Some argue it’s the toughest position to play in all of sports. Yet these Quarterbacks are breaking records and playing at unprecedented levels of achievement.
Saturday Games
Washington Football Team vs Detroit Lions Saturday at 8p Fox
For much of the 2024 season the talk of the NFC has been the incredible turn-around job head coach Dan Quinn has performed in Washington and almost everyone would agree it has been fueled by their outstanding rookie QB Jayden Daniels. Washington finished 4-13 in 2023 resulting in the dismissal of coach Ron Rivera. Enter Quinn as the new care-taker of the Washington franchise’s 93rd season. Important to note was also the addition of OC Kliff Kingsbury who had mentored over the development of another dual-threat QB Kyler Murray In Arizona.
Washington needed stability at QB1 having experienced eight-straight seasons with a different opening week starting Quarterback. Given the 2023 collapse, Washington was gifted with the number two selection in the 2024 draft which they invested in QB Jayden Daniels from LSU. Along with that lofty pick, Quinn and new GM Adam Peters, would also execute a roster purge that saw the lowest number of returning players from 2023 after signing a league high 26 free agents.
Washington Lights it Up!
The results were more than impressive as Washington would finish 12-5, their highest win total since 1991. Under QB Daniels the offense would rank among the best in team history scoring 485 points, second only to the Redskins 1983 team. Jayden Daniels was the catalyst recording the most rushing yards and highest pass completion percentage by a rookie QB in NFL history.
Daniels is listed at 6’3” and 210lbs. But he looks like a twig. Albeit a very athletic and fast twig. He is the quintessential dual-threat this side of Lamar Jackson and it’s hard to believe he survived a season rushing 148 times for 891 yards and 6 TDs. Oh, and along the way he completed 69% (that’s not a misprint!) of his passes for 3,568 yards and 25 TDs vs only 9 pics. Well done Kliff Kingsbury, who knows how develop young talent and, apparently, knows how to protect them.
Wild Card Payoff
Last weekend in the Wild Card round, Jayden completed 24 of 35 (68.8%) for 268 yards and 2 TDs (no pics) in Washington’s stunning 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Bucs and Daniels’ fellow Heisman winner Baker Mayfield. It was Washington’s first playoff victory since 2006. Jayden has earned his seat at the Pro Bowl training table.
But next on Washington’s schedule is the Saturday shootout with the #1 NFC seed Detroit Lions. Detroit is a bit farther down the road with its own franchise turn-around since the hiring of their head coach Dan Campbell. A former Lions’ TE Campbell has instilled a culture of toughness in Detroit that goes back to the days of Bobby Layne and Detroit’s last NFL Championship in 1957. As Bucky Brooks of Fox Sports said it “Campbell brings old school values” to the Lions.
Why Jared Goff?
The turn-around in Detroit didn’t happen as quickly as Washington’s but since Campbells’ 4-19 start the Lions are a league best 31-8 since the middle of the 2022 season. The key ? Look no farther than GM Brad Holmes’ trade acquisition of QB Jared Goff in 2021. Goff had been the first pick of the 2016 draft out of Cal Berkley and in his third season took the Rams to the Super Bowl.
But, I was at Super Bowl Llll In Atlanta in February 2019 and it turned out to be anti-climatic for the Rams and Jared Goff. It was a game dominated by defense. The Patriots would win 13-3 and Goff threw a costly interception to Stephen Gilmore late in the game. Jared looked tentative and the loss tied the Rams with the Miami Dolphins as the two lowest-scoring teams in Super Bowl history. It would also be the start of second-guessing Goff’s ability to win the big game.
By 2021 Jared Goff’s playmaking skills had declined to a point where the Rams were desperate to dump Goff and acquire Matthew Stafford from Detroit. To complete the deal the Rams gave up a king’s ransom of two first rounders and a third round pick plus Jared Goff. Keep in mind Goff had been the #1 pick in the draft only four years previously. It marked the first time in NFL history that two number one picks were swapped. But with the bounty of draft picks acquired by Detroit in the deal Jared goff almost felt like a “throw-in “ to the deal.
This Guy can Play
As the #1 pick of the 2016 draft Goff was a proto-type pocket passer at 6’4” and 217 lbs. While not a scrambler, Goff does have ability to move in the pocket and extend progressions. More importantly, Jared Goff is an incredibly accurate passer. In fact, he holds NFL records for completions in a regular season game with 45 (tied with Drew Bledsoe), most pass attempts with a perfect passer rating: 33 (tied with Deshaun Watson) and most pass attempts in a game without an incompletion (18 of 18).
A big part of Goff’s resurrection in Detroit has been Dan Campbell’s steadfast support of his Quarterback. The game-planning has centered on Goff’s ability to move the chains via play-action possession passing and distributing the ball to Detroit’s stable of play-makers.
Goff has Help!
The Lions have surrounded Goff with tier one talent like RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, TE Sam LaPorta , and WR Amon-Ra St Brown. The result has been a 15-2 record and the home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Goff completed a staggering 72.4% of his passes (#2 in NFL) for 4,629 yards (#2 NFL) and 37 TDs (#4 NFL). His 8.6 yards per attempt is the highest of his career and showcases his deep-ball accuracy.
The Lions have been featuring a “bend but don’t break” defense in 2024. While they give up chunks of yardage they are fourth in the league in total touchdowns allowed including second in passing TDs allowed (18). Moreover, they are very tough on 3rd down conversions allowing only 32.4% which ranks #1 in the NFL.
All the above adds up to a “bridge too far” for the upstart Washington football team and their amazingly talented rookie QB. At this point Jared Goff has a ton of big game experience and the Lions are still licking their wounds from last year’s heart-breaking loss 34-31 to the 49ers after being up 24-7 in the first half of the NFC Championship Game. I just don’t see a Dan Campbell/ Jared Goff team getting blind-sided in their first test to bring an NFL Championship back to Detroit.
Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs Saturday 4:30 ABC
Like Dan Campbell in Detroit, DeMeco Ryans played for his team prior to becoming the head coach. Ryans was an All-American linebacker at Alabama and then a second round draft pick of the Houston Texans where he won NFL Rookie of the Year honors. Transitioning to coaching after a ten year playing career DeMeco would climb the coaching ladder to DC of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021-22 until getting the top job with the Texans in 2023 at the age of 39.
Instant Results!
The Texans had been a coach’s nightmare prior to Ryans’ arrival as he became the third head coach hired in the last three off-seasons. And while the Texans lost their first two games in 2023 Ryans turned the franchise around and finished 10-7 and made the NFL playoffs. That 2023 season was highlighted by yet another miraculous rookie QB debut. In his rookie year, first round draft pick CJ Stroud (Ohio State), would show unusual poise leading his team to their first playoff appearance since 2019.
As a rookie CJ started 15 games going 9-6 while completing 63.9% of his passes for 4,108 yards, 23 TDs against only 5 interceptions. His protection of the football was most impressive. In fact, his 191 passing attempts without an interception to start an NFL career is the new NFL standard. He also set NFL records for most games with at least 350 passing yards by a rookie (3) and most passing yards in a single game by a rookie (470). Finally, his 5 TD passes in a single game vs the Buccaneers in 2023 is also an NFL rookie record. Wow, Jayden Daniels move over!
2023 Ends on a High
The Texans even won the 2023 Wild Card game vs the Cleveland Browns with CJ tying a rookie record for most passing TDs (3) in a playoff game and became the youngest QB to win a playoff game in league history as Texas swamped the Browns 45-14. The Texans would come down to earth the next week losing to Baltimore and Lamar Jackson 34-10 to end their highly successful 2023 season.
Why Not 2024?
So 2024 started with high expectations in the Texan’s camp and a 2-0 start did not diminish the enthusiasm. CJ Stroud picked up where he left off in 2023 by throwing for a combined 494 yards, three TDs and no turnovers in the first two games. But, alas, there is such a fine balancing act to winning in the NFL isn’t there? As often happens, CJ Stroud would get a touch of the Sophomore jinx in 2024.
Week 7 would see CJ throw for a mere 86 yards in a loss to the Packers, and in week 9 vs the Jets Stround would complete only 11 of 30 passes and was sacked 8 times in a 21-13 loss. Christmas Day did not bring any joy as the Texans floundered in a brutal loss to the Ravens 31-2 with Stroud posting a near career low 59.2 passer rating.
Time to Regroup
After the fast start the Texans would finish 2024 with only 5 wins over their last 11 games. But, it was enough to finish 10-7 and back in the playoffs. CJ Stroud was down in most of the statistical categories he dominated the year earlier but he and the Texans are back in the playoffs.
QB success in the NFL walks a fine line. A good, no better make that a great, NFL offensive coordinator will find ways to simplify the system to optimize rookie performance. As the QB grows the OC can adjust the weight put on the QB’s shoulders. Too heavy too soon can be a disaster. Ask Bryce Young in Carolina or Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis. Take a look at how Caleb Williams in Chicago started like a house on fire but seemed to end in a fizzle.
Still in the Hunt
Ryans and Stroud seem to have “rightened the ship” given its surprisingly easy Wild Card win over the LA Chargers last week 32-12. But a closer look at Houston’s season suggests the Texan’s defense may be the key to its 2024 success.
In week 5 DeMeco Ryans’ defense held Josh Allen to 9 of 30 with a pic in a 23-20 home win. In week 10 the Texans intercepted the Lions’ Jared Goff five times! To that point in the season Goff had only given up four pics all year. The Lions were resilient enough to hang on for a 26-23 win in spite of the turnovers.
And last week The Texans simply “mugged” Justin Herbert and the Chargers. Herbert was intercepted four times (he had given away only three all season!) including a pick-six late in the third quarter that iced the 32-12 win for the Texans. CJ started slowly in the game but finished strong on 22 of 33 for 282 yards and a TD. Next up: The Chiefs.
Hello Houston, We May Have a Problem
Make no mistake about it, any trip to the Super Bowl goes through Kansas City. The Chiefs are vying to be the first team ever to win three straight Lombardi Trophies. Andy Reid’s record in Kansas City is 143-52 in the regular season and 16-7 in the post season. Patrick Mahomes has been his QB since 2018 and is 89-23 regular season and a whopping 15-3 post-season.
That’s all you need to know folks, 15-3 on the biggest stage.
Patrick is Not the Problem
There has been a lot said of Patrick Mahomes’ “down” season. It’s true his TD passes are down and his Ints are up over the past two years. His 3,928 yards passing this year is a career low (That’s a helluva season for most guys!). But I see it as more about attrition around Patrick rather than about his personal production.
Travis Kelce seemed invisible for the first half of 2024 and finished the regular season with only 3 TD catches. Isiah Pacheco the Chiefs leading rusher in 2023 was sidelined for most of 2024 and rushed for a mere 310 regular season yards. And finally show me the next Tyreek Hill? Xavier Worthy (59 rec, 6 TDs) and Deandre Hoskins (56 rec, 5 TDs) are both adequate secondary receivers but not double-coverage demanding game-breakers. So Patrick Mahomes makes do. And does he ever.
You Can’t Argue with 15-2
The Chiefs Started 2024 9-0. The first loss was in Buffalo 30-21 in week 11. More on Josh Allen in a bit. In week 13 they clinched their 10th straight playoff appearance and their 9th consecutive AFC West title. But check this out: 11 of the Chiefs wins were within ONE score. Their +59 point differential is the WORST of all teams to finish with 3 or fewer losses since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Yikes.
Clutch
So why do I still say the road to the Super Bowl runs through Kansas City? Because Patrick Mahomes has 19 fourth quarter comebacks in his career and 23 game-winning drives. Seven of those game-winning drives occurred THIS season. So in 7 of the Chiefs 11 one score games Patrick Mahomes won it with a game-winning drive.
No other information is needed for Saturday’s game. You simply don’t bet against Patrick Mahomes !
Sunday Games
LA Rams vs Philadelphia Eagles Sunday 3p NBC
We talked earlier about how the LA Rams and coach Sean McVay paid a king’s ransom to acquire Matthew Stafford in 2021. We failed to mention how it paid off. Stafford in his first year with the Rams took the team to a 12-5 record and, more importantly, a Super Bowl win. All Stafford did was complete 67.2% of his passes for 4,886 yards and 41 TD passes. A monster year. And now he has his Rams back in the playoffs and advancing against the Eagles after dispatching the Minnesota Vikings last week with surprising ease 27-9
My Fav QB!
Matthew Stafford is simply one of my favorite QBs. Why? A number of reasons. First, and you could see this in his freshman year at Georgia, he has one of the most gifted arms in the history of the game. It’s a combination of release, angle and velocity. His ball spins like a Charlie Morton curve ball. He has all the throws from lofty touch to fast balls into tight windows. I’ve always been envious.
But his arm strength is not Matthew Stafford’s greatest asset. It’s his courage. And it’s his toughness. As the number one player taken in the NFL Draft in 2009 Stafford was proud to be a Detroit Lion. The same Lions who had not won an NFL Championship since “Bad Boy” Bobby Layne was QB in 1957. These Lions that would go 2-14 in Stafford’s rookie year of 2009.
The Guy has Guts
Of course there were Stafford highlights in his rookie year like the 5 TD passes in a 38-37 win over the Browns. The last of the five was after Stafford separated his shoulder and was told to stay on the sidelines by the team trainer. I’ve seen the video of him realizing time was running out as he jumps off the bench and just runs into the game on his own. It is an amazing scene. In addition to the winning pass Matthew accumulated 422 yards passing in that game which was an NFL rookie record at the time. Guts, that’s Matthew Stafford.
He’s Still a Detroit “Home Boy”
Over the 12 seasons with Detroit there were a few big wins and lots of losses and injuries and pain. But throughout, Matthew Stafford represented Detroit with dignity and pride. Matt and his wife Kelly continue, to this day, to be active with the Detroit community. They have donated millions of dollars to the SAY Detroit Play Center, which helps underserved youth in the community. Caring for others is also what Matt Stafford is all about.
We’re Talking HOF Creds
The Rams are six-point dogs going into the Eagles game on Sunday. But don’t count Matthew Stafford out. Stafford ranks in the Top 10 All-time NFL passers in attempts, completions, yards and TD passes. He is currently #6 All-time in passing yards per game and the fastest QB in NFL history to reach 40,000 yards. NFL records he currently holds include the most 4th quarter comebacks in a season with 8 in 2016 (tied with Kirk Cousins) and career playoff passing yards per game (307.9).
The Sublime
Yes, Matthew Stafford is 36 years old and a banged up veteran of 16 NFL seasons as a starter. Yes, he’s a step slower, but he’s lost nothing off his spin. Watch him in the pocket this Sunday. He hangs in so long you’d swear he’s going to get killed. Sometimes he does, but when he’s found his third progression and rockets it into a tight window there is nothing prettier in the entire damn world.
The Reality Check
But Matt Stafford has more than just gravity pulling at him. He’s got the Philadelphia Eagles. And it just so happens the Eagles defense is ranked #1 in total yards allowed including #1 in passing yards allowed. Gulp. Ironically, some of the Eagles defensive stars are University of Georgia home-boys including defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. MLB and leading tackler Nakobe Dean who has just been sidelined with a knee.
And there is more trouble for the Rams on the other side of the ball. Jalen Hurts has been QB1 since his second season in 2021 and results have been impressive. He’s 46-20 as the Eagles starter including four straight years in the post-season.
Hurts at ‘Bama
I’ve always admired how Jalen recovered from a brilliant college career that was surprisingly cut short at Alabama. Recall Hurts, in 2016, was the first true freshman to start at QB for Alabama in 32 years. He quickly emerged as a dual-threat weapon that took the Tide to a 12-0 record throwing for 23 TDs and 2,780 yards while rushing for an additional 954 yards and 13 touchdowns breaking the school single-season record for rushing yards by a QB. He would eventually lead “Bama to the SEC Championship over Florida and then finally fall in the CFP Championship game to Clemson 35-31.
2017 would be almost a mirror of 2016 with Hurts leading Alabama to an 11-1 record and a playoff berth in the Orange Bowl against nemesis Clemson. But this time The Tide would prevail with Jalen being recognized as the game offensive MVP. In the CFP finals Alabama fell behind 13-0 at the half to Georgia. In a strange twist Hurts was benched by coach Nick Saban and enter true freshman Tua Tagovailoa. Tua led Alabama to a come-from-behind 26-23 victory in overtime.
Time to Switch Horses
Jalen Hurts would never start another game for Nick Saban. While Alabama went 13-0 Jalen’s role in 2018 would be strictly as the backup. At the end of the season he earned his degree in communications and graduated from Alabama. He also announced he was transferring to Oklahoma. Since he was a graduate he was immediately eligible to play for the Sooners and coach Riley Lincoln.
In his first game with Oklahoma Jalen Hurts broke Baker Mayfield’s total offense record by posting 508 total yards against Houston. It was a sign of things to come as Oklahoma would win the Big 12 Championship and a spot in the CFP. They would lose to LSU in his final college game.
But, what a comeback from being benched at halftime against Georgia? In 2019 for the Sooners Jalen Hurts passed for 3,851 yards and 32 Touchdowns vs only 8 pics to go along with 1,298 yards rushing and another 20 rushing touchdowns. He finished second in the Heisman to Joe Burrow.
NFL
As a second round pick (questions about his 6’1” height?) Jalen joined the Eagles in 2020. He spent most of his rookie year as a backup behind Carson Wentz but did see action as a starter late in the season. By the start of 2021 Wentz was gone and Hurts was recognized as QB1.
The Ultimate NFL Dual-Threat
For the past four seasons Jalen Hurts has mostly dazzled. He is 46-20 as the Eagles starter. He holds NFL records of most rushing touchdowns by a QB with 15 (tied). And most rushing TDs in a postseason game by a QB (3). He has a career completion percentage of 64.4%.
In 2024 the Eagles with Jalen Hurts running the show experienced their first 10 game win streak after starting 2-2. Jalen was part of that slow start passing for 6 TDs but throwing 7 interceptions. However, following their bye week Hurts posted 26 TDs and only 3 turnovers during the streak.
Its a Violent Game
The bad news is that Jalen suffered a concussion against Washington in week 16 and did not return, ending the winning streak at 10. Jalen remained in concussion protocol and missed the final two games of the regular season.
Fortunately for the City of Brotherly love Jalen cleared the concussion protocol and was ready for the opening Wild Card Game against the Packers last week. The game was a low scoring defensive battle won by Philadelphia 22-10.
The Eagles defense picked Jordan Love three times. But the deciding factor was … Saquon Barkley who rushed for 126 yards. Saquon just may be the deciding factor in the Super Bowl. In the era of the QB Saquon Barkley along with another running back soon to be named are once again demonstrating the value of The Running Back.
Hey! This Guy is from My Home Town!
In his first year with the Eagles Saquon led the NFL in rushing with 2,005. The all-time record set by Eric Dickerson was within reach but Barkley and the Eagles decided a Super Bowl was more important that a trophy. Good call!
It looks to me like Philadelphia just has too many guns for the Rams. Hurts, Barkley, a league leading defense and one of the most hostile environs for a visiting team. Good luck Matthew but I’m thinking it’s time for the Eagles to soar.
Baltimore Ravens vs Buffalo Bills Sunday 6:30p CBS
In the end isn’t this the grandaddy of the weekend? I mean the battle of the MVPs, right?
So far in our playoff review we have identified two pure pocket passers (Goff and Stafford), two hybrids (Mahomes and Stroud) who can run but mostly don’t, two absolute dual-threats ( Daniels and Hurts) and now the creme-de-la-creme : Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Let’s start with Jackson. The first time I saw him play at Louisville I couldn’t believe my eyes. You see, I was a pure pocket passer (most of us were back then) and it’s always been hard for me to accept that a great runner could also be a great passer. Until I saw Lamar. In 2016 at age 19 Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy. And boy did he deserve it. While Louisville would go a pedestrian 9-4 Lamar performed magic.
The Magic Man
During the first game of the 2016 season Lamar totaled 8 touchdowns against Charlotte … in the first half! Against Syracuse he passed for 411 yards rushed for 199 yards and accounted for 5 TDs. Against #2 Florida State he was 13 of 20 for 216 yards, rushed for 146 yards and four TDs. He finished his Heisman season with 3,543 yards passing, 30 passing TDs vs 9 pics along with 1,571 rushing (shit!) and another 21 TDs rushing. Holy Cow.
And the thing is, his passes are frozen ropes. He has the release, he can deliver the ball on the run to anywhere on the field. His arm strength is scary. He is complete. His NFL resume includes most career rushing yards by a QB (6,173), most single-season rushing yards by a QB (1,206 in 2019), and most games with a perfect passer rating (4 tied). See there is that runner with a perfect passer rating. Not fair!
Time for Jackson to Step Up
But there is just one little thing. It’s called the post-season. Now, coach John Harbaugh has been at the Ravens helm for 17 years. He’s had a lot of success including a win over his brother Jim who was coaching the 49ers at the time. Not a huge deal except it was in Super Bowl XLVll in New Orleans in 2013. OK, now it’s a big deal. He’s won the Big One and of course he wants another.
Lamar Jackson has won a lot of NFL games. In fact, he’s 70-24 regular season. He’s had seasons of 13-2 (2019 when he was NFL MVP), 13-3 (2023 when he was NFL MVP), and standing at 13-5 this season (and he could be MVP again ). The problem has been the post-season. This is Lamar’s 5th playoff season (he missed 2022 due to injury) and he’s sitting on a 3-4 post-season record including last week’s dismantling of the Steelers.
What a Supporting Cast!
We know he’s been on great teams. In fact this year the Ravens are sending nine (9!) players to the Pro- Bowl. In fact earlier this year when Jackson accounted for 5 touchdowns (aka as a “Jackson 5”) vs the Giants the Ravens became the first team in NFL history with players winning the Offensive Player of the Week award in four consecutive weeks. This is also the first team in NFL history to surpass 4,000 yards passing and 3,000 yards rushing. So, yeah Lamar plays on a loaded team. Those rushing yards? Quite a few belong to “King Henry”. As in Derrick Henry, another RB rewriting the value of the RB.
What’s the Problem?
It should be his time. Lamar should be taking John Harbaugh back to New Orleans this year. But two teams stand in his way: The Bills and the Chiefs. Josh and Patrick. We’ve already talked about Patrick so let’s take a look at Josh.
2024’s MVP?
Josh Allen is probably the most talked about QB in the league this year. He’s on a great team, they get on TV a lot and in a ton of snow and freezing weather. The Bills are entertaining. But Josh is also being talked up for another reason. Maturity. He’s been a great player since his first year as a starter in 2018. He was actually taken as the 7th pick in the first round of the 2018 draft. Baker Mayfield was the first pick that year and Lamar Jackson was taken with the 32nd and last pick of the first round the same year. Pretty nice draft class.
But back to Josh… His only losing season was that rookie year of 2018 when he went 5-6 as the starter. Since then his teams have been consistently brilliant averaging almost 12 wins per season against just 4 losses. But if there is a criticism of Josh Allen it’s been that he tries to do too much. He’s trying to make something happen on every play.
It’s a Team Game
It’s a fair explanation as to why his interceptions are a bit too high for his skill level. In seasons 2021 thru 2023 Josh Allen averaged almost 16 pics per year. In 2024 Josh has 28 TD passes vs a mere 6 interceptions. A career low. Many pundits are suggesting this is the grown-up Josh Allen; The QB who sees the bigger picture and the best path to the Super Bowl. He’s using more of the assets around him. Fair enough.
But there is yet another fine line here for Josh Allen. Because you could argue no one QB in the league is more capable of putting the entire game on his shoulders. There are times in games that he is bigger than life. He refuses to be denied. And he is talented enough to pull it off.
Mr Outside and Mr Inside
While I like to call Lamar Jackson “Mr Outside” when scrambling because of his 4.34 forty. I also like to label Josh Allen “Mr Inside” because when Josh gets the “eye of the tiger” on 3rd and 5 he wants to run over anyone in his way. With his size at 6’5” and 237 lbs his 4.60 forty resembles a freight train at full speed bearing down on linebackers and safeties. It can make anybody miss.
You want bono-fides on Josh Allen as a dual-threat QB? How about these two NFL records: he has the highest passer rating in a single post-season of 149.0 in 2021 plus he holds the record for most rushing touchdowns by a QB in single NFL season of 15 (2023). Josh has 195 TD passes in his career along with 65 TDs rushing for a total of 260 touchdowns. Lamar Jackson brings 166 passing TDs combined with 33 rushing TDs for a total touchdown responsibility of 199. Not too shabby.
The Year of the Josh
But I can’t help but think, like many, this is the year of the Josh. I don’t think Lamar Jackson stands in his way but I do think the combination of Lamar and Derrick Henry are formidable. Just as Saquon Barkley has brought the RB back into the Eagles offense so has Henry with the Ravens. The two RBs were probably the two best off-season acquisitions in the NFL. The question is: can Josh Allen move the chains enough to keep both Lamar Allen and Derrick Henry off the field?
Josh does more with less around him. That might be a good argument for the NFL MVP award. But in this case I think it’s a great reason why the Bills and Josh Allen will win this game. He can control the destiny of this game more than any other player on the field at Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium on Sunday. I’m looking for a Josh vs Patrick rematch in the AFC Championship game.