Open Rants by Brownsfan93

Are Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen actually great qb's?

Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen both were qb’s drafted in the first round of 2018, and both had similar questions coming out of the draft.  They both had sub 60% completion percentages coming out of college and both heavily rely on their running ability to produce and win games for their teams.

They both are on their third seasons and while they look like they will be starters for years to come I still am quite skeptical of them as quality starters in this league.

They both have been able to improve their completion rates in the pros over college, something that is very rare; however they have both struggled mightily against the nfl’s top teams.

1. Can they beat the best?

As of right now the answer is no, both the Bills and Ravens can’t beat the Chiefs or right now and it will be interesting to see what kind of a game Lamar has against an elite Pittsburgh defense.

2. Are they good passers?

This one is so-so Jackson has had some bad games passing this year (51% against Cincy and 53% vs KC) and I think he’s an average passer at best, he could end up being kind of like Michael Vick, where he looks really good early in his career where he can still run a lot but then so-so as the years go on. As for Allen I don’t think he is, his passing was solid early last year but then his percentage declined as the season went on.  There was MVP talk early this year but now the Bills look to be regressing from their typical super September, he like Jackson relies heavily on his running ability to compensate for his passing and much of the last 3 games have been pretty poor despite only one game being a sub 60% game.

3. Can they stay healthy?

As of right now the answer has been yes.  I have real concerns about Allen though, as his style of running welcomes injury, constantly taking on tackles and defenders.  Jackson seems to be smarter in his running ability but with how many rush attempts he takes you have to wonder if he can keep that going, a torn ACL and he very easily could never be the same much like RG3. 

4. Results

Both have been able to produce solid regular season results so far in their careers, but games against the better teams or playoffs have been struggles.  I believe that both of their lack of ability to be solid passers is beginning to show more and in the long run it could change their standing in the league.  The Ravens and Bills will both make the playoffs on talent alone though at least this year, especially since the Bills are in probably the second worst division in the NFL.

5. Outlook

Both qbs as of right now seem to be signal callers for years to come, but I don’t think either has really accomplished enough to say they’re going to be shoe in elite qbs, yes Jackson was MVP last year but how did he do in the playoffs last year?  If Allen returns to more like his college self which is somewhat looking like it these last 3 games, he will just be a middle of the road qb, the Bills season is toast if he goes down on a run that’s for sure.

Stats Courtesy: ESPN, Pro Football Reference

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