With the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens playing on “Sunday Night Football” tonight, we’ll be treated to a showdown between the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL.
Bills QB Josh Allen and Ravens QB Lamar Jackson are two of the most electrifying players in the sport, and it’s must-see TV when these two face off. How have Allen and the Bills fared against the Ravens in recent years? Let’s take a look at Allen’s splits versus Baltimore and how they compare to other teams.
Josh Allen’s Stats Against the Ravens
Throughout his career, Allen has faced the Bills three times in the regular season, and his numbers don’t jump off the page.
In the three regular-season games, Allen threw for 433 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception with an awful 46.7% completion percentage. The Ravens have held Allen to just 144.3 passing yards per game in their regular-season matchups, which is the lowest average among defenses that have faced Allen multiple times. The only team that has held Allen to fewer passing yards per game is the Atlanta Falcons, but he’s faced them only once (throwing for just 120 yards and three interceptions back on Jan. 2, 2022).
Allen’s career QB rating against the Ravens is 63.8 — only the Falcons (17.0) and Green Bay Packers (53.0) have held him to a worse passer rating across their regular-season matchups.
Allen didn’t dominate with his legs in these games, either. Across the three games, he totaled just 105 rushing yards and one touchdown on the ground (or 35 rushing yards per game). He also fumbled the ball three times, but only lost one.
However, context is important. Allen’s worst two performances against the Ravens were during his rookie and sophomore seasons when he struggled quite a bit while getting acclimated to the NFL. And during the 2018 matchup, Allen didn’t start the game — instead, he subbed in for Nathan Peterman late in the 47-3 blowout. He finished the game with just 74 yards and zero touchdowns (with a 40% completion percentage), and he was sacked three times.
This brief garbage-time action against Baltimore certainly brings down his numbers when looking at his career splits. This was the first time he faced off against Jackson, who also subbed into the game late to replace Joe Flacco in garbage time. If we remove that game from Allen’s averages, his passing yards per game increase to 179.5 passing yards and his completion percentage is 48%. Better, but still not great.
The first time Allen and Jackson started against each other was in 2019, and Allen finished the game with 146 passing yards and one touchdown with a 43.6% completion percentage (and he finished with just two carries and nine rushing yards).
Which QB will win a Super Bowl first?
🔁 Josh Allen
❤️ Lamar Jackson pic.twitter.com/NPNUhIDAay— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) September 28, 2024
Their most recent showdown was in 2022, after both Allen and Jackson had emerged as superstars. Allen led the Bills to a 23-20 victory, throwing for 213 yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception (on a 52.8% completion percentage). However, this time, he had far more success on the ground, rushing for 70 yards and one touchdown on 11 attempts. This isn’t a stellar game by Allen’s standards, but it’s still significantly better than his first two meetings against Jackson and Co.
MORE: Lamar Jackson’s All-Time Stats and Record Against the Buffalo Bills
However, Allen’s best performance against the Ravens isn’t listed in his career splits, as it came on the NFL’s biggest stage. During the 2020 NFL Playoffs, Allen and Jackson squared off in the AFC Divisional Round. Allen threw for 206 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions (with a 62% completion percentage). Most importantly, the Bills defeated the Ravens, 17-3, advancing to the AFC Championship Game.
We’ll see if Allen can post better stats this time around or if the Ravens continue to have his number. Given that Baltimore has a dual-threat quarterback of their own, perhaps they’re better than most teams at making Allen uncomfortable and putting him in difficult positions.
Allen’s All-Time Record Versus Baltimore
In the regular season, Allen is 1-2 against the Ravens. However, it’s unfair to count the 2018 loss since he didn’t enter the game until Baltimore was blowing out Buffalo.
As previously mentioned, Allen is 1-0 against Baltimore in the playoffs.
While Allen’s early matchups against Baltimore were pretty brutal, it’s worth noting that he has gotten better at facing them over time, and he can say he’s won their last two showdowns (if you count their playoff game).
Interestingly, the Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles (0-2), and Indianapolis Colts (0-1) are the only NFL franchises that Allen has a losing record against.
On Sunday night, Allen will look to improve to 2-2 against Jackson and Co. in the regular season.