National Football League

Why Andy Reid believes Lamar Jackson is similar to Josh Allen as Chiefs prep for Ravens

Published Jan. 23, 2024 2:37 p.m. ET

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to take on Lamar Jackson for the first time in the postseason on Sunday, but Andy Reid believes the Baltimore Ravens' star quarterback has some similarities to a familiar playoff foe of theirs.

Reid explained that facing Jackson is "somewhat the same" as facing Josh Allen when he was asked if going up against the Buffalo Bills quarterback in the divisional round helped them prepare for the Ravens.

"You have to stay in your lanes, you have to stay disciplined with any quarterback that runs," Reid told reporters as he explained the similarities between Jackson and Allen. "Lamar is special, he's fast and one of the faster guys on the field when it's all said and done and he's shifty. Where Josh will go right through you, he doesn't care, he's a big, big man and probably equally as fast. He's a fast kid, he's run away from secondary players, you've seen that on tape.

"This kid (Jackson), he throws it well, he throws it on the move well, runs the ball well. So, we've just got to stay on top of that part of it throughout practice this week and then during the game."

The Chiefs were able to neutralize Allen in the passing game during their 27-24 win over the Bills on Sunday, allowing the star quarterback to throw for just 186 yards on 4.8 yards per attempt with a passing touchdown. But Allen nearly made up for the woes the Bills had through the air with his legs, rushing for 72 yards on six yards per attempt and two touchdowns.

As talented as Allen is, Jackson might arguably be better, at least as a runner. In addition to throwing for 3,678 yards on 8.0 yards per attempt with 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 102.7 passer rating, Jackson rushed for 821 yards on 5.5 yards per carry with five touchdowns during the regular season, making him the clear favorite to win NFL MVP.

Lamar Jackson's Ravens will be Chiefs toughest test yet

Jackson added another MVP-like performance to his top-tier season in the Ravens' playoff-opening win over the Texans. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception. He also had 100 rushing yards on 9.1 yards per attempt with two rushing scores.

While the Chiefs defense was second in yards allowed during the regular season, they weren't as stellar at stopping the run, as indicated against the Bills on Sunday. They were 18th in rushing yards allowed per game (113.2) and gave up the third-most rushing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks (23.1). They were also 13th in rushing yards per attempt allowed against opposing quarterbacks (4.1).

Has Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens finally solved their playoff woes?

Jackson was able to use his arm and legs to pick up efficient yardage in the Ravens' last meeting against the Chiefs in 2021. While he threw two interceptions in that game, Jackson completed 18 of 26 passes for 239 yards (9.2 yards per attempt) and rushed for 107 yards on 6.7 yards per attempt, scoring three total touchdowns to get his first win over the Chiefs in four tries.

That win also marked Ravens head coach John Harbaugh's second victory over Reid in seven tries, losing five straight games to his former boss prior to that. Harbaugh will seek to do something that no other former Reid assistant has been able to do: beat their former boss in the playoffs. Reid's assistants are 0-5 against him in the postseason, with Bills coach Sean McDermott moving to 0-3 with Sunday's loss.