Josh Allen can appreciate how heated discussions can get over bar stools, on talk radio and social media over whether he or Lamar Jackson are the better quarterback.
asserted
he → appreciate → radio
It’s a debate that has raged since the two were selected in the first round of the 2018 draft.
asserted
two → ’ → draft
Just don’t ask him to take sides, even as Allen has an opportunity to move the needle Sunday when the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (5-1) host Baltimore Ravens (4-3).
asserted
Bills → ask → Ravens
And what he’s consistently done when he’s on the field is unbelievable,” Allen said of Jackson.
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Allen → do → Jackson
“He’s a very special player and I’ve got so much respect for him.
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I → ’ → him
“That’s why you play this game is to have matchups like this.”
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you → ’ → this
Jackson, meantime, has the edge in being a two-time NFL MVP versus Allen winning the honor once.
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Allen → have → honor
Refreshed from a bye week off, Allen is expected to be on the field Sunday.
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Allen → refresh → field
The question is Jackson’s status, as the quarterback resumed practicing after missing the past three outings with an ankle injury.
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quarterback → resume → injury
The Ravens can certainly use a boost after losing two straight, including a 35-13 loss to Cincinnati in which Baltimore squandered a 13-0 halftime lead.
asserted
Baltimore → use → lead
“We have to pick each other up to move on to the next one and get that one, because we need a jumpstart,” wide receiver Zay Flowers said before noting that spark could come in the form of Jackson back behind center.
uncertain
spark → have → center
Running back Derrick Henry refused to use Jackson’s absence as an excuse by saying everyone needs to be more consistent.
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everyone → refuse → excuse
“Nobody’s going to fix it but us,” Henry said.
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Henry → go → us
“We know what it’s been.
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it → know → ?
And we know we have the right guys to get it where we want to go.”
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we → know → it
Baltimore’s second-half collapses have carried from before Jesse Minter took over as coach this offseason.
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Minter → carry → coach
The Ravens have lost 10 times in the past five seasons when leading by 10 or more in the second half.
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when → lose → half
That includes Baltimore squandering a 15-point fourth-quarter lead in a 41-40 loss at Buffalo to open last season.
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Baltimore → include → season
The Bills have much to clean up even though they enter this weekend tied with Kansas City for the AFC lead.
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they → have → lead
Buffalo has been overly reliant on the its offense to compensate for a defense that has allowed 29 or more points five times.
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that → compensate → points
Productive as the Bills have been in leading the NFL in points per outing and scoring on 36 of 58 possessions not ending in a kneel-down, Allen believes they can be even better.
“We feel like we’re still striving to play our best football,” Allen said.
Need to know
Baltimore (4-3) at Buffalo (5-1)
When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.
Latest odds: Bills by 3 1/2.
Against the spread: Ravens 2-5; Bills 4-2.
asserted
odds → lead → Ravens
Last week: Ravens lost to the Bengals 35-13; Bills had a bye.
asserted
Bills → lose → bye
Last meeting: Bills beat the Ravens 41-40 on Sept. 7, 2025, in Orchard Park, New York.
asserted
Bills → beat → Park
The Bills’ secondary has been suspect, though Benford is their top pass defender and did a solid job in blanketing Raiders top threat Brock Bowers in Buffalo’s 33-30 win at Las Vegas two weeks ago.
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Benford → do → Vegas
Flowers is by far the Ravens’ top threat with his 608 yards receiving ranking fifth in the NFL and representing 36% of the team’s total.
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receiving → rank → total
Stats and stuff
— Allen and Jackson made their NFL debuts as backups in Buffalo’s 47-3 loss at Baltimore to open the 2018 season.
— Allen’s 101 wins (including playoffs) are tied with Tom Brady for third among players in their first nine NFL seasons.
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wins → make → seasons
Patrick Mahomes (112) tops the list, followed by Russell Wilson (107).
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Mahomes → top → Wilson
— Buffalo is 8-0 under Allen following its bye week, and 11-0 since a 17-13 loss at Kansas City in 2014.
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Buffalo → follow → 2014
— Buffalo is 4-0 this season and has won seven straight when allowing 30 or more points.
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Buffalo → win → points
The Bills were 4-41 in their previous 45 games when allowing 30 points dating to the start of the 2012 season.
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Bills → allow → season
— Buffalo can open a season 6-1 or better for just the ninth time in team history and third time since 1993.
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Buffalo → open → 1993
— Bills PK Tyler Bass has converted 18 straight field-goal attempts to match the franchise record set by Rian Lindell set during the 2007 season.
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Bass → convert → season
— Baltimore has scored four touchdowns and a field goal on seven game-opening drives, with the 31 points tied for the NFL lead with San Francisco.
asserted
points → score → Francisco
— Baltimore’s first-half point differential (65) ranks No. 1 in the league.
asserted
differential → rank → league
Their second-half point differential (minus-70) ranks last.
asserted
differential → rank → ?
— The Ravens are 3-1 on the road this season and 21-8 since 2023 to lead all NFL teams in wins over that span.
asserted
Ravens → lead → span
— With 13,597 career yards rushing, Henry ranks ninth on the NFL list, 65 behind Jerome Bettis and 87 back of LaDainian Tomlinson.
asserted
Henry → rank → Tomlinson
— Henry’s 135 career touchdowns from scrimmage rank fifth in NFL history, one behind Marshall Faulk.
asserted
touchdowns → rank → Faulk
The Aporia
