The NFL’s race to win MVP is a close one every year but this season, the top 2 candidates in the battle are deserving of it yet only one will receive it. As Lamar Jackson closed in on Josh Allen after his remarkable performance against the Houston Texans on Christmas, he still trails the Bills’ quarterback.
While fans are divided on who deserves to win it this time, ESPN’s Ryan Clark believes that Josh Allen will reign victorious and win his first MVP over Lamar Jackson. This win will come not because his numbers and performance are better than his counterpart but because of the narrative.
Ryan Clark compared this year’s NFL MVP race to the 1992-93 NBA MVP battle between Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan. While the NFL veteran gave Allen his flowers, he believes that Lamar is playing on a different level this year.
Josh Allen’s MVP will be like Charles Barkley’s MVP. I think right now what happens with people like Patrick Mahomes, people like Lamar Jackson is we get fatigued and I think voters get fatigued. What happens is the MVP becomes a narrative-driven war…Although Josh Allen is having a great season, (he) is having an MVP-caliber season but you win MVP because you are better than everybody else, right now Josh Allen is not playing the quarterback position better than Lamar Jackson…
Ryan Clark said on First Take
Lamar Jackson is on track to win his third MVP this season
Clark’s arguments make sense. It’s not to say that it would be wrong to give Josh Allen the award because after all, he has 3,549 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions so far but Lamar Jackson has been better with 3,955 yards, 39 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. However, it has been Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson who have won the award at frequent intervals over the past few years.
The voters would feel more inclined to vote for Josh Allen who has yet to win this honor as opposed to Lamar Jackson who has two MVPs. So ultimately even though the numbers tell a different tale, it is the narrative surrounding the race that is dictating the winner of the award.
This happened in the NBA during Michael Jordan’s era. He was consistently great and even though his numbers were better than his counterparts, to give him the MVP every year would not have been the right move. In 1992-93, Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns won the award over Jordan, and although his numbers were slightly lesser than MJ’s, it was his first time winning it.
Notably, the Suns had a better overall record than the Bulls which also impacted his odds. One thing is certain, both Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen deserve to win the MVP this year because they have played lights out.
