At this level within the NFL season, it’s tough to think about anybody catching Josh Allen within the race for MVP. Now the runaway favourite for the award, Allen has remained as efficient as ever whereas former frontrunner Lamar Jackson has fallen by the wayside throughout the Ravens final three video games, two of which had been losses.
Allen has been implausible regardless of a down passing 12 months across the league, of that there’s no debate. On tempo for 3,812 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and simply 7 interceptions, Allen has additionally been a power on the bottom — the place he’s on tempo to complete with 473 dashing yards and one other 9 touchdowns. It’s inconceivable to think about the Payments being similar staff with out Allen below middle, which has been the longstanding argument for conflating “Most Invaluable Participant” with “Greatest Quarterback.”
Whereas Allen has been implausible, it’s additionally wild to contemplate that he’s such a powerful favourite to take dwelling honors when this hasn’t been his greatest particular person season within the NFL, and he’s removed from the highest quarterback within the league this season. The truth is, when in comparison with his friends on the place Allen doesn’t actually have a resume that leaps off the web page and screams “MVP.”
- 14th in passing yards
- twentieth in completion share
- sixth in passing touchdowns
- fifth in fewest interceptions thrown
- 14th in yards-per-attempt
- tenth in passer score
What Allen does have going for him is whole consistency in all areas. This has been a season the place up-and-down quarterback play has been the norm, however Allen’s recreation has neither benefited from excessive excessive factors this 12 months, or been hindered by lows. As an alternative he’s simply taking part in strong soccer towards each single opponent within the league, and it’s helped that he’s on among the finest groups within the NFL.
It’s undoubtedly tough to make a powerful argument for any quarterback within the NFL to win the award different than Josh Allen this season. Lamar Jackson has been superb, however largely padded his stats towards horrible opponents. Jared Goff is the king of effectivity, however he’s thrown 9 interceptions, which hurts his resume. Joe Burrow is having a profession 12 months, however the Bengals are so abysmal it’s inconceivable to place him in consideration.
If this award was for “Greatest Quarterback” there’s little question Allen would win and deserve the award. The issue is that in a simply world MVP ought to be going to Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, simply because it ought to have gone to Christian McCaffrey a 12 months in the past.
A core subject with the idea of MVP proper now could be that by nature “beneficial” is at all times going to use to a quarterback greater than every other place. You’ll be laborious pressed to search out any playoff staff that might merely lose its sign caller, whereas sustaining the identical stage of manufacturing and success. That mentioned, it’s additionally locked in previous considering the place quarterback is an important place on the sphere by a large margin — and that hurts somebody like Barkley, who has no doubt been an important participant not simply on the Eagles, however within the NFL this season.
Saquon Barkley received’t win NFL MVP, however he deserves the award
Whereas Allen will win the award with pretty middling numbers, Barkley is having among the finest working again seasons in historical past. Sitting at 1,499 yards, the Eagles’ again is on observe to complete 2024 with 2,123 dashing yards — which might be probably the most by a again since Derrick Henry in 2020, and break Eric Dickerson’s file of two,105 yards, set again in 1984. Contemplating that Barkley has a ultimate five-game stretch towards groups who’ve been horrific towards the run this season.
- Panthers: thirty second
- Steelers: 4th
- Commanders: twenty seventh
- Cowboys: thirty first
- Giants: twenty ninth
Contemplating Barkley is averaging 6.1 yards-per-carry it’s straightforward to see him surpassing Dickerson’s mark, and there’s even an out of doors probability he might break the two,200 yard mark for the primary time in NFL historical past.
In the case of establishing “worth” it’s tough to think about any participant within the league being extra vital, or transformative to their group that Saquon Barkley. He’s single-handedly taken the Eagles from a misplaced staff that gave the impression to be destined to fireside Nick Sirianni, to now being 10-2 and a official Tremendous Bowl theat. In the meantime the argument for Josh Allen is strong, but it surely’s largely primarily based off “extra of the identical” from the Payments’ quarterback.
This isn’t a singular argument to Allen vs. Barkley. It’s the actual similar argument as to why Christian McCaffrey ought to have been the MVP final 12 months. In 2024 we’ve seen what occurred to the San Francisco 49ers with out their do-everything working again, and it remodeled them from among the finest groups within the NFC, so final place within the NFC West.
What makes this so tough is that MVP isn’t, nor ought to or not it’s a “physique of labor” award — however Allen has come so near successful previously that this feels a bit like it will likely be making good on a stellar profession to this point. Allen has had his greatest seasons get overshadowed by a breakout, career-defining 12 months from one other participant. In 2020 his 4,500 yard, 37 TD season was washed out by Aaron Rodgers throwing 48 TDs and solely 5 INTs. In 2022 he misplaced out to Patrick Mahomes on a profession 12 months. A part of it is a testomony to Allen’s consistency, however that additionally his downfall on the subject of particular person awards like this — as a result of he’s only a 12 months in, 12 months out top-5 QB, which makes him much less vulnerable to have these eye-opening seasons that garner all the eye.
Finally, we want a brand new award. We have to discover a technique to separate out MVP and Offensive Participant of the 12 months so it’s not merely quarterbacks at all times successful MVP, with the perfect non-quarterback successful OPOY. In a simply world we’d have Barkley win the MVP in 2024, Allen be named Quarterback of the 12 months, after which OPOY being opened up so somebody like Joe Burrow can get acknowledged exterior of his staff’s defensive struggles.
That received’t occur in 2024 although. Josh Allen will win the MVP, but it surely’s merely mistaken to have a legendary working again season get overshadowed by a strong, however unremarkable QB 12 months.
