ExtremeRavens Posted 6 hours ago Posted 6 hours ago Now that Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is out with a torn ACL in his left knee and the Chiefs are no longer eligible for the postseason, some quarterback has to take over the playoffs. Will it be the bridesmaids of the past two seasons, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson or Buffalo’s Josh Allen? Or will be a rising newcomer such as New England’s Drake Maye, Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, Denver’s Bo Nix, Houston’s C.J. Stroud or the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert? It can’t be Pittsburgh’s Aaron Rodgers. Please, please, please let the football gods have mercy upon us and not let Rodgers, 42, get to another Super Bowl. If he does, we’ll never hear the end of it because he won’t let us. But some quarterback has to take control and dominate. Since he became the Chiefs’ starter in 2018, Mahomes has won three Super Bowl titles, two NFL Most Valuable Player awards and seven AFC West titles and has appeared in seven straight AFC championship games. Whether you liked him or not, his play was excellent and fun to watch because no lead was safe. And his coach, Andy Reid, always came up with some clever play in clutch situations. So, who is next? Former Ravens coach Brian Billick, who appeared on the latest BMore Football Podcast with myself and Jerry Coleman, recently said that the AFC was a wide-open race. We actually agreed. We agreed on several other things, like this being the perfect opportunity for one of these quarterbacks to step up. It makes sense because the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and they take over in the postseason. Yet, at this point, it’s hard to make a prediction. Allen is playing at a super human pace. He’s completing 70% of his passes for 3,276 yards with 25 touchdowns. When he is on his game, the Bills are nearly unbeatable. Go ask the Ravens. As for Jackson, his health has improved in recent weeks, but you never know what you’re going to get when he steps on the field. One thing is for sure: this hasn’t been the Jackson of recent years when he was a dual threat running off the perimeter and showing a strong touch on the long ball. In fact, more questions persist about which days he’ll take off this week. But if he regroups, what a great story about a team that started the season 1-5. Right now, though, Jackson is an enigma. Former Ravens coach and the late Ted Marchibroda used to say that the team with the least amount of weaknesses usually wins a Super Bowl. If that’s the case, then the New England Patriots should be the favorites. They are ranked No. 6 in total offense, averaging 364.2 yards per game, and No. 7 defensively, allowing 300.1 yards per game. That’s about as balanced as a team can get, and they also have Maye, a second-year quarterback who has completed 70.9% of his passes for 3,412 yards with 23 touchdowns. The kid from North Carolina can play. “Big plays is the biggest thing when you look at their offense,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Sunday night’s opponent. “They’ve just had a bunch of big plays [and] big runs. They have a rookie running back [TreVeyon Henderson] that’s fast and explosive. Boy, you better have your angle set up on him. They’re physical, obviously, and Maye’s made some nice throws, and sometimes he runs around, but he’s made some big throws and play actions and things like that. That’s a combination that you have to be concerned about.” Billick liked Maye, but also Lawrence, whom he says is starting to come into his own. Lawrence has just finished the best five-game stretch of his five-year career and looks content and comfortable using the wristband designed by first-year coach Liam Coen. Lawrence has completed 59.7% of his passes for 3,210 yards with 23 touchdowns, and at 6 feet 6 and 220 pounds, he appears faster than he looks running downfield. The team that really causes concern is the Houston Texans. Quarterback C.J. Stroud has drawn a lot of accolades in his first three seasons, some of them well deserved, but it’s the defense that is more of a concern. The Texans can bring it and are ranked No. 1 in total defense, allowing only 269.2 yards per game. They have the best pass rushing tandem in the league in Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair is very instinctive and the secondary is elite with cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and nickelback Jalen Pitre. Safety Calen Bullock can play anywhere in the deep third of the field. More importantly, defense travels. As for Denver, there are still questions about second-year quarterback Nix. He has completed 63.5% of his passes for 3,256 yards but sometimes looks rattled or confused in the pocket. Herbert has put up impressive numbers as well with the Chargers, but Los Angeles plays on the West Coast. In other words, they are so soft. As for Rodgers, he is fun to watch and seems to have made a name for himself in Pittsburgh. I’m pretty sure they will come out with the name of a sandwich in his honor soon. But poof, out will go the lights in Pittsburgh. It’s inevitable. Regardless, somebody has to step up. The NFL is a world driven by quarterbacks. Without Mahomes, the playoffs will become boring, but some signal-caller has to become the new champion. This all should get interesting soon. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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