The NFL gave us an absolute banger of a slate to kick off the 2025 campaign. Nearly every Week 1 matchup sparks intrigue, headlined by a primetime showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
Two AFC juggernauts led by their superstar quarterbacks will go toe-to-toe in a pivotal clash, but one signal-caller may be in for a disappointing outing.
Ravens franchise centerpiece Lamar Jackson doesn't have many rough days at the office, but he could be in for one in Buffalo. FanSided's Ryan Heckman boldly predicts that the Bills will hold him to under 200 total yards on Sunday Night Football.
For context, the three-time All-Pro averaged 299.2 combined passing and rushing yards per game last season. That's a far cry from the output we've become accustomed to seeing, to say the least, though it's within the range of outcomes.
Bills fans are ready to run through a brick wall after bold Week 1 Lamar Jackson prediction
For whatever reason(s), the Bills have been Jackson's kryptonite thus far in his illustrious career, as Heckman alludes to. Excluding the mop-up duty stats of a garbage time blowout victory in 2018 and including the playoffs, he's 2-3 against them. "Lamarvelous" notably didn't clear the 200-yard threshold in two of those contests, so it's not like this is uncharted territory for Buffalo.
Buffalo has done an excellent job of not just containing Jackson within the pocket but also forcing him to think. He typically thrives off script and lets his instincts and athleticism dictate the action, regardless of the opponent. One way or another, the Bills understand the 28-year-old will make plays; they know being too aggressive can expose them to Baltimore's explosives.
Heckman may be onto something, given what we've seen in the past. However, this is arguably the best player in the league we're talking about. As Buffalo has experienced firsthand, you can only bottle up Jackson's greatness for so long. With that in mind, the Bills Mafia may want to pump the brakes on such high defensive expectations.
Reaching/exceeding the 200-yard clip hasn't been an issue for Jackson in the Ravens' last three meetings with Buffalo. His dual-threat game-wrecking ability has been on full display the past few times these clubs have faced off. The Bills have limited him through the air or on the ground, but not both, like any other team that tries to slow down the two-time MVP.