Why Bills QB Josh Allen deserves MVP honors over Ravens’ Lamar Jackson

There’s no denying that Lamar Jackson is statistically coming off his greatest season as a professional. Jackson leads the league in passer ranking (121.6), tops all quarterbacks in speeding yards (852), is second in passing touchdowns (39) and has simply 4 interceptions in 16 video games. He can also be sixth within the league in passing yards (3,955).

All of those numbers are higher than what he achieved throughout his MVP season final 12 months. And they’re higher than the numbers of his closest competitor this season, Josh Allen.

That makes it exhausting to argue for Allen to win the award this season. However, there are different components in favor of Allen profitable his first MVP.

The Ravens are 7-3 in opposition to groups with profitable information and nonetheless want a win over the Cleveland Browns this weekend to say the AFC North division title. Allen’s Bills are 3-3 in opposition to groups with profitable information, however they’re the one crew to beat the AFC’s greatest crew, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the NFC’s greatest crew, the Detroit Lions.

At 13-3 general, Allen’s Bills have a greater document than Jackson’s Ravens (11-5). Buffalo clinched the AFC East division title in Week 13. Allen will begin this Sunday in opposition to the New England Patriots to maintain his streak alive, however will solely play a few sequence past that.

That means Jackson has a chance to enhance his MVP resume whereas Allen watches Mitch Trubisky run Buffalo’s offense within the closing week of the common season. Jackson additionally owns head-to-head Buffalo, with the Ravens handily dealing with the Bills 35-10 in Week 4.

A 3rd MVP award would put Jackson in a unique stratosphere. Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre have all received not less than three MVP awards. But all of them have Super Bowl victories on their resumes.

Jackson is 2-4 within the playoffs and has but to succeed in the Super Bowl. Yes, the MVP award is for what a participant completed throughout the common season, nevertheless, is it too early to catapult Jackson into this elite group, when he hasn’t led his crew to the highest of the mountain?

Another MVP would give Jackson two straight wins and three general. That’s yet another participant than the participant most NFL observers take into account the perfect within the league in Patrick Mahomes: the quarterback of the crew with the perfect document within the league, the 15-1 Chiefs, who’re chasing a 3rd straight title of the unprecedented Super Bowl.

Allen has 40 whole touchdowns, 531 speeding yards and 12 speeding touchdowns. Buffalo misplaced gifted offensive gamers like Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Mitch Morse throughout the offseason, and due to this, the Bills have been anticipated to take a step again on offense.

But Allen discovered the way to do extra with much less. Allen and left deal with Dion Dawkins have been the one Buffalo gamers chosen to the Pro Bowl. The Ravens, in the meantime, had chosen 5 offensive gamers: operating again Derrick Henry, fullback Patrick Ricard, receiver Zay Flowers, middle Tyler Linderbaum and Jackson.

Allen was the catalyst for a way the Bills carried out on offense. And he performed effectively late within the season, when Buffalo wanted him most, ending with 18 whole touchdowns and only one turnover in December. The Bills averaged 38 factors per sport and went 4-1 final month.

While Jackson has the higher numbers, Allen was at his greatest within the greatest moments of the common season, which is the true measure of an MVP.

The oddsmakers assume alike, with Allen nonetheless the favourite heading into the ultimate weekend of the common season. Jackson is barely behind, whereas Joe Burrow has moved as much as third with Saquon Barkley.

1. Josh Allen, Invoices
Current MVP Odds: -300 (wager $10 to win $13.33 whole)

One vital statistic Allen will hold the identical is his consecutive begins ranking, which demonstrates his tenacity at crucial place within the sport. Allen is at the moment on 114 consecutive begins, together with the postseason. But he nonetheless has a protracted solution to go to catch as much as the all-time chief, Brett Favre, who had 297 consecutive begins.

With 65 profession speeding touchdowns, Allen is tied with Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas for probably the most touchdowns in franchise historical past.

Does Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson have the higher MVP case after 17 weeks?

2. Lamar Jackson, Crows
Current MVP Odds: +225 (wager $10 to win $32.50 whole)

With 3,955 passing yards, Jackson has an opportunity to change into the primary participant with not less than 4,000 passing yards, 40 landing passes and fewer than 5 interceptions in a season.

Jackson additionally surpassed Michael Vick this season because the quarterback with probably the most speeding yards in NFL historical past with 6,110.

3. Saquon Barkley, Eagles
Current MVP Odds: +1600 (wager $10 to win $170 whole)

Barkley is the ninth participant in league historical past to surpass the two,000-yard mark (2,005) and desires simply 101 yards to interrupt Eric Dickerson’s single-season document of two,105 yards set in 1984. However, with nothing to realize for the crew , the Eagles neatly plan to host Barkley in Week 18.

If it weren’t for a number of quarterbacks taking part in effectively, Barkley may very well be mentioned extra as a respectable MVP candidate. He accounted for 38% of Philadelphia’s offense this season, making the Eagles one of many favorites to win the Super Bowl.

4. Joe Burrow, Bengal
Current MVP Odds: +1600 (wager $10 to win $170 whole)

The LSU product could be within the operating with Jackson and Allen for MVP honors if not for a porous protection and his crew’s .500 document. Burrow leads the league with profession highs in passing yards (4,641) and landing passes (42).

He has thrown not less than three landing passes in eight consecutive video games and will change into simply the fifth quarterback in NFL historical past with 5,000 passing yards and 45 landing passes in a season, becoming a member of Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Drew Brees and Mahomes.

5. Jared Goff, Lions
Current MVP Odds: +8000 (wager $10 to win $810 whole)

Mahomes is certainly value contemplating proper now due to how he performed till the tip of the sport, serving to the Chiefs earn the perfect document within the NFL. However, it is exhausting to miss how Goff has masterfully engineered the league’s most explosive offense.

Detroit leads the league with 33 factors per sport. Goff has 13,411 passing yards and 95 passing touchdowns since 2022 — each marks the perfect of any NFL quarterback in that span.

Honorable Mention: Patrick Mahomes, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Derrick Henry, Jayden Daniels

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, protecting the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN e Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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