This weekend, there may be no player in the NFL facing more pressure than Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. While some might argue that players like Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, Jalen Hurts, or even Matthew Stafford are under more intense scrutiny, none of them are carrying the same weight of expectation that Allen is as he heads into this crucial playoff game.
Since Josh Allen cemented himself as one of the league’s top quarterbacks, he’s consistently been ranked among the best, year after year. There have been seasons where he’s been in fierce competition with quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes for the title of the league’s best signal-caller, and this year, he’s been compared to Lamar Jackson. Allen’s performances have even led to debates about whether he or Joe Burrow is the better quarterback, a conversation that has been reignited multiple times.
However, while Burrow is absent from the playoff picture this year, the other top quarterbacks—Mahomes, Jackson, and Allen—are all still in contention. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, but it’s Allen and the Bills who will have a high-stakes showdown with Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. For Allen, this game carries an immense amount of pressure, particularly given what’s been at stake for the Bills in recent years.
For the past three seasons, Buffalo has suffered painful exits in the divisional round of the playoffs. This has become a troubling trend, especially when you consider the caliber of quarterback the team has in Allen. Over the last few seasons, the Bills have fallen short at this same stage of the postseason, each time facing disappointment. They were eliminated by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs twice—once on their home field—and by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round on their home turf as well.
If Allen and the Bills were to lose to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens this weekend, it would mark the fourth straight year in which Buffalo fails to advance beyond the divisional round. To make matters worse, it would mean Allen has been outperformed by all three of these top-tier quarterbacks in the same round of the playoffs, all on home soil in Buffalo. The ramifications of such a loss would be far-reaching, and it could spark serious questions about Allen’s ability to succeed in the postseason.
Despite his individual excellence on the field, Allen’s playoff track record in recent years has left much to be desired. While his performances in the postseason have often been outstanding, the results have been less than ideal—always ending in a bitter loss. Fans in Buffalo are no longer willing to settle for regular-season success. The growing impatience among the Bills’ fan base is palpable, as they expect more than just impressive regular-season numbers. The postseason is where the true measure of a quarterback is made, and for Allen, his inability to get over the divisional round hump has cast a shadow over his legacy.
If Buffalo suffers another early exit this weekend, it’s almost certain that the narrative will begin to shift. Critics will question whether Allen can truly be considered one of the greats if he can’t deliver when it matters most, especially in games played in Buffalo. The storylines would inevitably surface, questioning whether Allen is capable of winning in the playoffs, particularly at home, and whether he can defeat the league’s other elite quarterbacks when the stakes are the highest.
To silence the doubters and avoid these damaging narratives, Josh Allen must come out and dominate the Ravens on Saturday. He needs to prove not only that he has the ability to beat the best teams in the AFC but that he and the Bills are truly a force to be reckoned with in the playoff picture. For Allen and the Bills, this game is not just about advancing—it’s about preserving the belief that they are one of the NFL’s top teams and that Allen is capable of leading them to a SuperBowl victory.
