Josh Allen is Quite Literally the Man

Keegan McLeod

Staff Writer

MVP stands for most valuable player. The award is not necessarily given to the player with the best stats, but rather the player whose individual performance throughout the season contributes the most to his team’s success. Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, and a few other players had amazing seasons that were more than worthy of the award as well, but no player brought more value to his team than Josh Allen.

Since quarterback is almost universally agreed upon as the most valuable position in football, the MVP award essentially came down to Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson at the end of the season. Jackson ended the regular season with better numbers in just about every category, including passing yards, rushing yards, total touchdowns, and completion percentage, but numbers do not tell the whole story. Jackson put up these numbers playing 1074 total snaps versus Allen’s 968.

Josh Allen’s case is strongly supported by not having as talented of a team as Lamar Jackson. Allen and his left tackle, Dion Dawkins, were the only Bills selected to the Pro Bowl while the Ravens had eight other players besides Jackson. Jackson and five of his teammates were selected to either the first or second All Pro teams, while Josh Allen was the only Buffalo Bill on either list. One notable Baltimore player on both lists was future-hall-of-fame running back, Derrick Henry. These awards are voted on by people who understand football best: fellow players, coaches, and professional sports analysts, although a third of Pro Bowl votes are decided by fans.

The Ravens’ defense finished as the 8th best in the league in both opponent points per game and yards per game. The Bills’ ended up as 12^th in points and 16^th in yards. Despite this, Josh Allen still led his team to a 13-4 record compared to the Raven’s 12-5. Josh Allen did not even play in the Bills’ week 18 loss, apart from the first snap where he handed the ball off to keep his streak of starting games alive.

The Ravens got the better of the Bills in the regular season, but the Bills got their revenge in the divisional round of the playoffs in a game where Lamar Jackson had two costly turnovers. Both quarterbacks had outstanding seasons that could have easily gotten the MVP nod, but unfortunately, neither one was able to secure their first Super Bowl. Both players showed impressive sportsmanship and respect after their matchup. Throughout their seasons, they proved why they deserve to be advertised as the league’s top players and role models. I’d like to finish by quoting Josh Allen’s closing remark in his MVP acceptance speech. “Be Good. Do Good. God Bless. Go Bills.” How could you not love the guy?