Josh Allen vs Lamar Jackson: Two MVP careers, different playoff stories and one question about who will define the AFC era

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson meet Sunday at Highmark Stadium, and Jackson's ankle decides how much the game means. The Ravens quarterback has not played since Week 4 and missed three straight games. Coach Jesse Minter has sounded encouraging, though his status stayed unsettled this week. Buffalo is 5-1, Baltimore 4-3. Jackson has two MVP awards, Allen one, and neither has won a Super Bowl. Allen holds the playoff edge between them, winning both postseason meetings, in January 2021 and January 2025, but his exit in Denver last season showed that edge guarantees nothing in the AFC race.Josh Allen vs Lamar Jackson: Two MVP careers, two different playoff storiesJackson won MVP unanimously in 2019 and again in 2023. Allen took the award in 2024, and the vote was one of the closest in recent years. The stats show why. Jackson threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns with four interceptions that season, and ran for 915 yards. Allen threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns, but he also ran for 531 yards and 12 scores, and Buffalo finished 13-4 to Baltimore's 12-5.The playoffs split them. Jackson is 3-5 in the postseason. Their first meeting, a 17-3 Bills win, ended early for him because of a concussion. The second came in Buffalo in January 2025, when he threw an interception and lost a fumble in the first half. Allen scored twice on the ground, the Bills forced three turnovers, and Mark Andrews dropped a two-point try with 1:33 left in a 27-25 Buffalo win. Baltimore missed the playoffs the following season, so that night still closes out his résumé.Allen's story is messier, and last season made it worse. The AFC field had no Patrick Mahomes, Jackson or Joe Burrow, and Allen's team could not take advantage of that. Buffalo beat Jacksonville in the wild-card round, then lost 33-30 in overtime at Denver. Allen turned the ball over four times, after going 427 postseason snaps without a fumble or interception. "Feel like I let my teammates down tonight," he said afterward. He is also 0-7 in overtime games for his career.The two problems look different. Jackson's is a pattern across eight games. Allen's is a short list of bad endings, set against efficiency numbers that once ranked first among playoff quarterbacks since 2020. Allen has reached two AFC title games and Jackson one. Both lost to Kansas City.Sunday gives the AFC race an early testAcross seven meetings, Jackson has won three of five regular-season games, and Allen has won both playoff games. Oddsmakers still have the Bills favored on Sunday, even with Jackson possibly back. Baltimore lost its second straight game without him last weekend, and the Ravens average 395 yards in his starts this season.Minter is the Ravens' new head coach, and receiver Zay Flowers said in May that people would see a refreshed Jackson. The ankle has interrupted that plan. Jackson's 2025 was already injury-affected, so his health is a theme as much as his playoff record.Allen opened the year with 269 passing yards, 65 rushing yards and four total touchdowns in Week 1, and he leads the early MVP odds. He finished third in the vote last season, with two first-place votes. Matthew Stafford won it by one first-place vote over Drake Maye. Allen is also the first player in NFL history with five straight 40-touchdown seasons, counting passing and rushing.Sunday is not January. Still, Allen has beaten Jackson both times it counted most.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.