By Tim Barbalace
October 1st, 2016. #3 Louisville at #5 Clemson. Lamar Jackson vs. Deshaun Watson.
The big-time matchup lived up to the hype and then some. Lamar Jackson was 27 of 44 passing for 295 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also had 31 rushes for 162 yards and two TDs.
Deshaun Watson was 20 of 31 passing for 306 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He ran for 110 yards off 16 attempts. Both teams combined for 1,075 yards of offense, 57 first downs, and 78 points.
Clemson prevailed in the game 42-36 and went on to win the National Championship over Alabama. Louisville ended up finishing the year 9-4 and lost in the Citrus Bowl against LSU. Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy, while Deshaun Watson was a finalist.
This Sunday marks the first time Jackson and Watson have opposed each other since their legendary college game. Similarly to 2016, both are having to stand out seasons and remain amongst the top contenders for MVP.
Jackson has improved leaps and bounds as a passer in year two. He is completing close to 66 percent of his passes for 2,036 yards with 15 touchdowns, which is good for a 101.7 passer rating. He is also 11th in the NFL in rushing yards with 702.
Watson is completing 70.2 percent of his passes for 2,432 yards with 18 touchdowns, which is good for a 107.1 passer rating. He also has 279 yards on the ground.
The Ravens and Texans are leading their respective divisions in large part due to their young quarterbacks. Jackson and Watson may not fit the mold of a traditional drop-back passer, but given their statistical output, who cares?
They aren't your prototypical 6'5, 240-pound gunslinger, but they are winners. Jackson is 13-3 in his regular-season starts, while Watson is 20-11. They're both under 25, and their career trajectories are pointing way up.
Sunday's game will have plenty of postseason ramifications. The Ravens currently hold the number two seed in the AFC with a 7-2 record, while the Texans sit a game back at 6-3. If Baltimore can defend home turf, they will go up two games over Houston and have the head to head tiebreaker, while a loss would put them on the outside looking in when it comes to a first-round bye.
Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson will surely play a factor for their respective teams. The Ravens and Texans have both struggled to defend the pass this season, which could make for some offensive fireworks. I suspect this to be the first of many matchups between these two dynamic quarterbacks.