Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen? One NFL defender says he’d rather face the Ravens QB.
There is a large possibility that the Divisional Round playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills will come down to one final drive from the MVP quarterbacks; Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Who would you rather have with the ball in their hands if you were on the other side of the situation needing a stop?
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby was on Good Morning Football Friday on NFL Network and the hosts asked the All-Pro pass rusher which of the two quarterbacks he’d rather face in a “gotta have it” situation.
If you read the headline, you already know what he had to say.
When it comes to Josh vs. Lamar, who would you rather rather go up against? @CrosbyMaxx weighs in his thoughts pic.twitter.com/HTvL1BOtzs
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) January 17, 2025
The scenario is hanging onto a five-point lead with 90 seconds left in the game, who would be tougher to defend on a game-winning drive?
“I’ve played both of them. Both are incredible talents. If I’m on defense, I might say I’d rather go against Lamar. No offense. They’re both incredible, but I think Josh Allen has shown it over and over again.”
While Jackson has laid some eggs in big moments, Allen hasn’t, and Crosby was quick to reference the Bills’ QB’s excellent postseason play. He knows wins aren’t a quarterback stat.
“Even in the losses to the Chiefs, in those big games in the playoffs, Josh Allen was still having career games, he just didn’t have the ball last. So I feel like Josh Allen, he’s got the clutch gene for sure.”
In January of 2022, we have frequently looked back at the “13 seconds” game as a huge disappointment in Bills history. Almost this exact situation played out and Allen rose to the occasion.
With 62 seconds left (that’s less than 90), the Bills got the ball down four points. You need a touchdown to win. Allen found Gabe Davis down the left sideline on second down for 28 yards, then Davis again for 12 yards on the next play. Two plays later, Emmanuel Sanders caught a pass for 16 yards. With 17 seconds left, Allen lasered a ball to Gabe Davis for a 19-yard touchdown with 0:13 on the clock. It took Allen’s offense less than 50 seconds to move the entire length of the field for the go-ahead score. That all came after the Bills converted two fourth downs and a two-point conversion on the previous drive.
Last year, it was a bit of a different story. With 8:23 left in the game, the Bills got the ball down three points. Allen placed a perfect deep shot to Stefon Diggs but it went through the veteran’s hands. Instead, Allen led a methodical drive to steal as much clock as possible, burning almost seven minutes while getting into position for a game-tying field goal.
In two of the last three years, Allen has led fourth-quarter drives against Kansas City that could have ended the game.
“He’s so dangerous running and throwing the ball. He can make all the throws,” added Crosby. “Also, he’s as big as me, so that being a-whole-nother challenge.”
Crosby’s Raiders barely beat anyone in 2024, but they felled the Ravens and Jackson in Week 2.
Allen has only played the Raiders twice, with Crosby nabbing a sack in 2020. Buffalo won in convincing fashion with Allen throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns.