Week 1 QB Preview: Jackson and Allen Add Another Chapter to their Story

A Battle of the Last Two MVPs

Entering the 2025 season, it seems as if it’s time to finally move on from the never-ending argument from last season about who deserved the MVP award. Both quarterbacks are coming off career seasons, but neither has been able to finally get over the hump.

As Week 1 arrives, one thing remains on the mind for both franchise stars: getting to and winning their first Super Bowl.  Both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen entered the league in 2018, and over the last seven seasons, have put together potential HOF resumes. Jackson is a 2x MVP and 3x First Team All-Pro, coming off the best statistical passing season of his career. Allen enters the season freshly removed from his first MVP award, to go along with his two Second-Team All-Pros.

We’re in for a treat Sunday night, as both stars look to put on another exciting performance to start 2025.

Jackson’s Path to Success

Though the franchise’s calling card since its inception has been defense, Eric DeCosta has slowly built a juggernaut of an offense, dating back to selecting Jackson in 2018. Whether through the draft or free agency, the Ravens front office has given Jackson the supporting cast he and the fanbase have longed for, as the 2x MVP enters his eighth season.

The expectations seem to be at an all-time high for the Ravens as 2025 gets underway Sunday night in Buffalo. The Ravens have quite the tough stretch to begin the season, with matchups against the Bills, Chiefs, Lions, and Texans all within the first five weeks of the year. Fortunately for the Ravens, Jackson has fared more than well in Week 1 games in his career, carrying a 5-2 record, 1,513 passing yards, 13 passing TDs, and just 2 INTs. Buffalo’s secondary enters the matchup banged up, providing a chance for the Ravens passing attack to pick up where they left off last season. Unlike last season’s Divisional Round game, the Ravens will have Pro Bowl receiver Zay Flowers, who missed the final two games with a knee injury in 2024. Jackson and Flowers’ connection was a huge contributor to Baltimore’s success a year ago, primarily when getting Flowers in motion. Flowers was in motion on 19.6% of his snaps in 2024, leading to the 9th-highest receiving yards in the league(285) when doing so.

Exploiting a limited Buffalo secondary could be crucial to the Ravens success, as they will enter Sunday night without Pro Bowl fullback Pat Ricard. The Ravens run game will obviously find success at times throughout the night, but the absence of Ricard will be missed as a lead blocker for Derrick Henry.

In two games against the Bills last season, Jackson accounted for 410 passing yards, five total touchdowns, 1 interception, and a fumble. Players and coaches have preached protecting the football while speaking to the media, as we’ve slowly approached one of the more exciting Week 1 battles.

Jackson and the Ravens have a chance to put last year’s disappointment behind them officially and get off on the right foot with a road win in Buffalo.

Limiting Allen’s Big Plays

Josh Allen enters the 2025 season riding high, following the first MVP award of his career. However, the Bills front office did not do much to help him on the outside, and it appears it could be on display Sunday night. Buffalo elected to let Amari Cooper walk after a short tenure with the team following a trade at the deadline, and second-year receiver Keon Coleman is dealing with a nagging groin injury. Khalil Shakir and newly-signed receivers Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore will look to be key contributors for the Bills passing game, should the Bills limit Coleman’s reps.

However, Allen has proven over the last two seasons just how deadly he can be on the ground, specifically up the middle. The Ravens LB corps is young and a bit inexperienced outside of Roquan Smith. Leaning on 2x Pro Bowler Nnamdi Madubuike and young star Travis Jones to plug up the middle will be critical for the Ravens front seven. Allen ranked 2nd in the NFL in quarterback sneaks in 2024 with 27, sitting behind just Jalen Hurts (34) of the Eagles. It’s not only the runs up the middle, but Allen’s ability to extend plays and find the tight windows. Since entering the league in 2018, Allen has led all quarterbacks in passes within one yard of the sideline. The 3x Pro Bowler has 118 yards and 3 touchdowns on such passes, while the rest of the league combined has completed on just 3 of 61 such attempts, for 40 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, according to NFL PRO.

It’ll be interesting to see just how ready running back James Cook is, following a bit of a holdout for a new contract during Training Camp. Cook is coming off a 16-touchdown season, after just four total in his previous two seasons in the league. Buffalo has taken more of an approach to the run game since the departure of Brian Daboll in 2022. With a younger linebacker corps, Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady could look to lean on Allen and his running backs to find success against what looks like a scary secondary on paper.

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