In a year Hotly contested campaignsthe NFL MVP race gave fans and pundits a lot to argue about.
The race between Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and… Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson has ignited a wave of controversy on social media and sports talk shows in recent weeks. Allen is currently the -300 favorite to win the award, while Jackson has the second-best odds at +225.
Allen and Jackson have strong but slightly different arguments for the award, with no clear consensus on which case is stronger.
For Allen, a fifth straight division title, a 13-3 record and lone wins over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs headline his campaign. Statistically, Allen's 3,731 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes, along with his 531 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns on the ground, cement his MVP-caliber season, though he does not lead the league in any specific category.
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But Jackson makes a completely different argument as the most statistically efficient player in the league this year. Jackson leads the league in touchdown percentage and passing yards per attempt while also leading 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 just 11 wins and have yet to clinch their division one week ago.
The Jackson Ravens also defeated Allen's Bills by a score of 35-10 in their meeting this season.
These factors earned Jackson the approval of many voters in the media, some of whom have publicly expressed their support for the Ravens star.
NFL insider Diana Russini made it clear she plans to vote for Jackson during an episode of “Scoop City” on Tuesday, citing superior statistical performance.
“I'm leaning toward Lamar,” Rossini said. “I don't think Josh Allen did anything this weekend to make me say, 'Okay, he stole this thing.'”
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Meanwhile, FOX Sports NFL analyst and MVP voter Emmanuel Acho argued for Allen during an episode of FS1's “The Facility,” pointing to the fact that Buffalo has an inferior overall roster, especially on defense, when compared to the Ravens. The Bills rank 20th in total defense this year while the Ravens rank 14th. Jackson also has the advantage of counting on multiple-time league rushing leader running back Derrick Henry as a co-star, while Allen lacks any superstars in his offense.
“Josh Allen simply has to do just as much, if not more, with less,” Acho said. “I was watching the Ravens game last night, and there were moments, if not most of the time, where I asked myself, 'Who's the best player on the Ravens' offense?' I mean, make no mistake about it, Derrick Henry rushed for over 120 yards in that game, and I'm sitting there watching that game, and I'm saying the Ravens' offense has two of the Bills' offense. She only has Josh Allen.”
Meanwhile, CBS NFL broadcaster and former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo made an argument that NFL fans mocked and repeated in the discussion. Romo said Allen should have a better chance at winning the award because he has not won it yet, while Jackson has already won two MVP awards.
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“I think they're tied in my mind. I think Josh Allen might get the edge just because Lamar had two. If Josh has two, you're going to side with the guy who doesn't have one. That's only human,” Romo said during the broadcast of the Bills' win over the New York Jets. Sunday: “Nature, in my opinion.”
ESPN First Take host and former Super Bowl champion Ryan Clark has been one of Jackson's most vocal advocates in the MVP race this year. Clark argued that if Allen is selected as MVP over Jackson, it will only be because voters have already awarded Jackson the MVP award twice. He compared it to instances in the NBA, where Michael Jordan
Both players have one more game to polish off their MVP cases. However, Jackson will likely be the only player to do so on Sunday.
With the Bills already wrapping up their division title and locking themselves into the No. 2 seed in the NFL playoffs, head coach Sean McDermott said Allen will not play the entire game against the New England Patriots on Sunday. McDermott told reporters that Allen would start the game to maintain his current streak of starting matches for the team, but he would leave the field early.
Jackson will need to lead his team to victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday to win the AFC North title for Baltimore.
If Jackson puts in another dominant performance while Allen sits on the bench for most of Sunday, it could shake up the current betting odds and change the race.
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