Getting ready for Lamar Jackson is a tough challenge under normal circumstances, so the Buffalo Bills have gained some inside knowledge ahead of the AFC Divisional Playoff matchup on Sunday, January 19 by signing former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Anthony Brown.
Brown joining the practice squad was confirmed by Buffalo Bills PR on Wednesday, January 15. The move “makes sense” because Brown can act “as a scout team QB to simulate some of what the Ravens do with Lamar Jackson,” according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.
A head-start will be crucial for the Bills if they’re going to have any chance of corralling Jackson. The dual-threat signal-caller is playing the best football of his career and is a leading contender to win a third NFL MVP award.
Ironically, Jackson’s strongest competitor is Buffalo’s running and throwing sensation, Josh Allen. The Ravens will need their own special plans to keep him under wraps.
Reunion With Anthony Brown About Lamar Jackson for Bills
There’s no mistaking why the Bills brought Brown back into the fold. Head coach Sean McDermott told reporters, including WROC-TV’s Thad Brown, how the “addition of Anthony Brown to the practice squad allows #Bills to have a scout team QB that can adequately simulate run and pass. If they had (to) bring a WR to handle Lamar runs, D in practice won’t take pass threat seriously enough.”
Brown has returned to familiar surroundings at Highmark Stadium, having had a brief spell with the Bills last preseason. Already knowing what Brown can offer isn’t the best reason for bringing him back, compared with the 26-year-old’s extensive knowledge of the Ravens and Jackson.
The information comes from Brown’s two seasons in Baltimore. He was signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2022 and even got onto the field for two games, including starting in a losing cause against AFC North rivals the Cincinnati Bengals.
Brown was a good fit for the Ravens quarterback room because he’d been a dual-threat playmaker at Oregon in his collegiate days. He gained 658 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per attempt on the ground during his final season with the Ducks in 2021, per Sports Reference, including this touchdown dart against Fresno State.
He’s not Jackson, but Brown is a mobile and strong-armed passer. He’ll at least give the Bills a working theory for how to prevent Jackson from breaking the pocket, but that’s just the start of Buffalo’s problems.
The Bills also need to stop bulldozing running back Derrick Henry. He bludgeoned the Pittsburgh Steelers for 186 of the Ravens’ 299 rushing yards in the Wild-Card round.
Successfully splitting focus between Henry and Jackson is the challenge the Ravens pose every team, but they face a similar dilemma against Allen and the multi-faceted Bills offense.
Ravens Need Flexible Plan for Josh Allen
He’s played at an MVP level all season, but Allen isn’t the only threat posed by the Bills. Third-year running back James Cook rushed for over 1,000 yards for the second-straight campaign and is also a useful receiver.
Cook’s averaged 4.9 yards per carry, while Allen’s wide receivers all bring different traits to the field. Veteran Khalil Shakir thrives between the numbers, Mack Hollins is prolific in the red zone, and dynamic rookie Keon Coleman can take the top off coverage.
There are plenty of supporting pieces, but Allen is still the main man. He can dominate in a designed QB run game, while the 28-year-old is deadly moving the pocket to throw in space.
Those qualities have allowed Allen to put together a season rivalling Jackson for production, per FOX Sports: NFL.
Allen’s supporting cast isn’t as good as the Henry-led group around Jackson, but Buffalo’s QB1 has home-field advantage. The Ravens will need a flexible pass-rush plan to pressure Allen and take away his running lanes.
A season spent going against Jackson in practice should be all the preparation the Ravens need for Allen.
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