As the 2024 season draws to a close, the winners of the various yearly awards will soon be announced. Many players can be seen as “the most valuable player” for their franchises. Still, there can only be one winner. As of late, many NFL analysts have narrowed it down to two outstanding players: quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. The two quarterbacks have been fighting back and forth in recent weeks for the number one spot after it seemed Jackson was on pace to win his 3rd MVP earlier in the season.
Lamar Jackson Shows off Dazzling Moves, Speeding by Defenses: Through the first 7 to 8 weeks of the NFL season. Lamar Jackson proved to critics that adding all-pro running back Derrick Henry (acquired during free agency just months before) would not slow him down and affect his impact on the field. If anything, it helped Jackson’s case by making defenses worry about the run game, allowing Jackson to find open receivers down the field. Jackson’s numbers this season were mostly career-best, and many critics and analysts had him as the clear-cut 3-time MVP.
Jackson recorded career highs in multiple statistics these include passing yards (4172), passing touchdowns (41), Completions (316), yards per attempt (8.8), yards per game (245.4), passer rating (119.6), and threw a total of four interceptions between all 17 games which are his best since his rookie year when he only threw three interceptions. Jackson had a masterful season passing the ball, allowing Derrick Henry to take some of the load off with his legs. We know what Jackson is capable of on the ground when he’s mobile, but something changed for him this season his rushing numbers took a downturn compared to what fans and critics expected he would do throughout the year.
ESPN analyst Jamison Hensley had this to say about Jackson’s season rushing-wise, “The NFL’s best dual-threat has become a more one-dimensional quarterback. Jackson is averaging a career-low 8.2 rushing attempts per game after running the ball just twice in Sunday’s 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.”
Jackson’s numbers on the ground this season do not compare to what people have seen him do. Jackson was able to record 915 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. This makes him the first player to pass for 4000 yards and rush for 900 yards in the same season, showing how much he brings to the offense. Jackson’s strongest case for the MVP is simple: he put up better numbers this year than both of his past MVP years, which would make it hard for Jackson not to be deserving of the award.
Josh Allen shows his power and otherworldly accuracy this season: Leading up to the season, many analysts believed that the Buffalo Bills would not have the same success as they had in the previous few seasons. The main reason for that was the loss of Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs and other key offensive players this past offseason.
Analyst Nate Carter from USA Today had this to say about the Bills this preseason, “Though WR Stefon Diggs wasn’t a major component of that hot finish, Buffalo will have to carry on without him, WR2 Gabe Davis and quite a few former key players the team just couldn’t afford to keep.”
Josh Allen and the Bills would go on to prove all the pre-season predictions wrong winning a total of 13 games and only 4 losses, and most of the contribution came from Allen himself. With the offense losing key guys the Bills were able to give Josh Allen more opportunities with the ball allowing him to record over 4000 yards from scrimmage, 40 total touchdowns, and had the best quarterback rating in the entire league. The strongest argument for Josh Allen winning the award would be the success his team had along with him having career lows in both interceptions (6) and fumbles (5) giving his team more chances to score points and win games.
One more aspect that won the Bills games and more than likely won the award for Allen is his tremendous offensive line only allowing Allen to be sacked just 14 times which is 10 less times than last season.
The question of who deserves it more is a tough one. Both of these quarterbacks have played their hearts out throughout the season game in and game out, and giving fans performances that they will never forget. Jackson with his twitchy movements and amazing passing game showed the critics that yes he can throw the football. Allen proved he could lead a team and be the main vocal point for an offense. Whoever the winner may be, the 2nd place winner should not hang their head but use it as motivation to outshine the other.
