In a competitive year, the NFL MVP race has given fans and pundits plenty to debate.
The race between Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has sparked heated arguments on social media and sports talk shows in recent weeks. Allen is currently the favorite to win at -300, with Jackson second at +225.
Mr. Allen and Mr. Jackson have strong but slightly different claims for the award, and there is no clear consensus as to which claim is stronger.
For Allen, the campaign was highlighted by a fifth straight district championship, a 13-3 record and the lone win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Statistically, Allen's 3,731 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes, along with his 531 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground, led to an MVP-caliber season despite not leading the league in any particular category. I support you.
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But Jackson poses an entirely different argument as the statistically most efficient player in the league this year. Jackson leads the league in touchdown percentage and passing yards per attempt, and also leads the entire league (quarterbacks and running backs) in rushing yards per carry. But Jackson's statistical performance is weighed down compared to Allen's by the fact that the Ravens have only won 11 games and have yet to decide the division with a week left.
Jackson's Ravens defeated Allen's Bills 35-10 in this season's matchup.
These factors led to multiple voters in the media nodding toward Jackson, some of whom publicly expressed support for the Ravens star.
NFL insider Deanna Russini revealed on Tuesday's episode of the “Scoop City” podcast that she plans to vote for Jackson, citing his superior statistical performance.
“I'm leaning toward Lamar,” Russini said. “I don't think Josh Allen did anything this weekend that made me think, 'Okay, he stole this.'
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Meanwhile, FOX Sports NFL analyst and MVP voter Emmanuel Acho said on an episode of FS1's “The Facility” that Buffalo's entire roster is inferior when compared to the Ravens, especially defensively. Citing facts, he argued in favor of Allen. The Bills rank 20th in total defense this year, while the Ravens rank 14th. Jackson also has the advantage of being able to rely on running back Derrick Henry, who was the league's rushing leader multiple times, as a co-star, but Allen lacks a big offensive superstar.
“Simply put, Josh Allen has to do just as much, if not more, with less effort,” Acho said. “I was watching the Ravens game again last night, and there was a moment, if not most of the time, when I asked myself, 'Who is the best player on the Ravens offense?' Don't get me wrong. But Derrick Henry ran for over 120 yards in that game. I'm sitting and watching this game and I'm telling you the Ravens offense has two Bills Hall of Famers. . There’s just Josh Allen.”
Meanwhile, CBS broadcaster NFL and former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo made a repeated argument that was ridiculed by NFL fans during the debate. Romo argued that while Jackson has already won two MVP awards, Allen should have more of a shot at the award since he hasn't won yet.
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“I think they're tied together in my head. I think Josh Allen's advantage is because Lamar had two. If Josh had two, you didn't have one. That's natural in my opinion,'' Romo said Sunday while broadcasting the Bills' win over the New York Jets.
ESPN First Take host and former Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark was one of Jackson's most vocal supporters in this year's MVP race. Clark argued that even if Allen were chosen over Jackson, it would only be because voters had already given Jackson the MVP award twice. He compared it to the NBA example of Michael Jordan.
Both players have one more game to polish their respective MVP credentials. However, it's possible that Jackson will be the only one playing this Sunday.
Head coach Sean McDermott said Allen will not play the full game Sunday against the New England Patriots, as the Bills have already clinched the division title and the No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs. McDermott told reporters that Allen will start to maintain the team's current streak of consecutive starts, but that he will be off the field at some point early on.
For Baltimore to win the AFC North title, Jackson will need to lead the team to a victory against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
If Jackson has another dominant performance while Allen sits on the bench for most of Sunday, the current betting odds could change significantly and the race could change.
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