Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen won’t be about deciding the NFL MVP next week.
The real stakes are much higher, with a spot in the AFC Championship game up for grabs.
Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens (13-5) will face Allen and the Buffalo Bills (14-4) in the divisional round. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (15-2), the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, will host C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans (11-7).
The winners will meet on January 26 for a chance to reach the Super Bowl.
The Bills secured their spot with a 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday, while the Ravens advanced with a 28-14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night. The Texans triumphed 32-12 against the Chargers in the first game of wild-card weekend. The Chiefs got a bye after earning the No. 1 seed.
The AFC divisional matchups were decided before the NFC games kicked off.
On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-10 to move on to the divisional round. They will play the winner of the Vikings-Rams game at home, with Minnesota facing Los Angeles on Monday night in Arizona.
The Washington Commanders became the first road team to win in this year’s playoffs, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 on Sunday night. The Commanders (13-5) will now take on the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (15-2).
Jackson edged Allen for the Associated Press All-Pro Team, earning 30 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide media panel. Allen received 18 first-place votes, which earned him second-team All-Pro honors.
The last time an MVP winner didn’t make first-team All-Pro was in 2003, when Steve McNair and Peyton Manning shared the MVP award. Manning, however, earned All-Pro honors over McNair.
The only other time this happened was in 1987 when John Elway won the MVP while Joe Montana received All-Pro honors. Elway secured 36 MVP votes, with Montana receiving 18 and Jerry Rice finishing second with 30 votes.
Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP, completed 16 of 21 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh. He also ran for 81 yards on 15 carries.
Allen was 20 of 26 for 272 yards and two touchdowns against Denver. He also ran for 46 yards.
The two teams met in Baltimore during Week 4, where the Ravens dominated the Bills 35-10.
This will be the second time in recent history that the final four teams from a conference return for consecutive seasons. Last year, the Chiefs defeated the Bills and the Ravens beat the Texans. The previous occurrence was in 2011-12 when the Texans, Patriots, Ravens, and Broncos reached the divisional round in consecutive years.
