Josh Allen secured his first MVP award on Thursday night, narrowly defeating Lamar Jackson by a margin of 21 points. The Buffalo Bills quarterback garnered 27 first-place votes compared to Jackson’s 23. Throughout his career, Allen has consistently been a strong MVP contender but had not clinched the award until now.
Despite being a finalist three times previously and Jackson winning the award last year, some believe Allen may have benefited from sympathy votes this time around. Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden commented, “I understand it, because [Josh] is a great quarterback. He hadn’t won one. Lamar had two. And they’re like, ‘Let’s just give him one.’ But that’s the wrong reason. They made the wrong choice.”
While Jackson’s statistics generally surpass Allen’s, Allen’s leadership helped the Bills dominate their division, even after losing top receiver Stefon Diggs. This season marked the first time since 2019 that Allen did not surpass 4,000 passing yards, yet he led the NFL with a total QBR of 77.4. Although his 28 passing touchdowns were the lowest since 2019, he also rushed for 12 touchdowns, the second-highest total of his career.
After winning his second MVP award last year, Jackson achieved career highs with over 4,000 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes. Allen benefited from a relatively weak division, clinching the AFC East title on December 1. However, it is evident that as long as Allen is at the helm, the Bills remain competitive.
In the voting, Allen received 22 second-place votes to Jackson’s 26, with Saquon Barkley and Joe Burrow each receiving one. Allen also received a third-place vote, while Jackson had a fourth-place vote. Notably, Jackson received more first-team All-Pro votes than Allen, marking the first time since 1987 that a first-team All-Pro did not win the MVP award.
