After Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen’s Shootout, We’re Left With Only One Question

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In the third quarter on Sunday night, my mind wandered to Patrick Mahomes. It was the equivalent of thinking about work on vacation. Why couldn’t I just focus on what was in front of me: the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills? The game was just getting good, with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry outpacing Josh Allen — before Allen punched back in epic fashion.

I was guilty of thinking about what the future holds for these two QBs. And that is, likely, a playoff matchup with Mahomes. If the past is any indicator, they won’t win it. Even so, I picked the Bills to win the Super Bowl this year. So I kept asking myself: Why in the world can’t these two QBs beat the Kansas City Chiefs? 

Look at what they can do! They’re both comic-book talented.

With how these teams are playing, it has to happen soon. 

It has to.

Allen might be 4-1 against Kansas City in the regular season, but he’s 0-4 in the postseason. Jackson is 1-5 overall, with zero playoff wins. On Sunday night, the quarterbacks and their teams looked capable of beating the Chiefs. There’s ample talent on both sides and, particularly on the Bills’ side, finishing ability to come away with a victory.

“When you do look back, there are a lot [of incredible moments from Allen],” Bills receiver Keon Coleman told me after Sunday’s game. “It’s hard to compare them. It’s like he just keeps leveling up every time. ‘Oh this was great.’ ‘Oh damn, he did it again.’ Then he’s gonna do this. Then he’s gonna do that. You start to lose count. It’s amazing.”

When will Allen or Jackson level up to beating Mahomes?

It might also be about Mahomes and the Chiefs leveling down, too. They looked fatigued in Super Bowl LIX, when they were blown out by the Eagles. They gave everything they had to execute a three-peat and came up short. They can talk all they want about bringing new energy in 2025 and having more fun. But that gets harder after playing more games than anyone else over the past three years. There’s physical and emotional wear and tear. After all, a Chiefs coach admitted to me at the Super Bowl that “it does” get old dealing with the circus year after year.

After Week 1, when Mahomes’ offense struggled without Xavier Worthy (injury) and Rashee Rice (suspension), Allen looks like the best quarterback on the planet. As far as QB rankings go, Mahomes was already vulnerable after his defense helped carry him to the Super Bowl last year. Last week, the Chiefs’ defense was bad and Mahomes lost. Last week, the Bills’ defense was bad and Allen won. It’s not apples to apples, but you see the point. It’s no longer a safe consensus that Mahomes is the NFL’s QB1.

But it’s also moot to think this week will tell us what the playoffs hold. By then, Worthy and Rice should be back and healthy. The Chiefs defense, which made dumb-and-simple mistakes, should see corrections from veteran DC Steve Spagnuolo.

That doesn’t diminish what the Bills accomplished on Sunday night. After all, they could end up with the No. 1 seed this year. They were favored in every single game of the season. They now have a win in hand over the Ravens. All those things could help the Bills get home-field advantage in the postseason, which could give them a leg up against the Chiefs.

The vibes are good in Orchard Park. And the Bills seem to be thinking about the future.

“Something special is happening here at One Bills Drive,” tackle Dion Dawkins told me postgame. “You can tell. You can feel it, because stuff don’t happen like that — not like that.”

Sunday’s game could be the turning point. 

The Bills could use it to find the confidence and execution they’ve lacked. The Ravens could do the same, because, as edge Kyle Van Noy told me after the game, they “have 17 more weeks to figure it out.” And sometimes a disappointing opener makes for a better team, on the whole.

Either way, Mahomes is coming for both teams. 

He loomed over that shootout in a way that Tom Brady might have in a matchup between Peyton Manning and Drew Brees back in the day. But those guys eventually got their Super Bowl titles. It should be only a matter of time before Allen and Jackson get theirs. It should be. 

And this year looks like their best shot yet.

Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna. 

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