{"id":203060,"date":"2024-12-02T17:00:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T22:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=203060"},"modified":"2024-12-02T16:30:24","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T21:30:24","slug":"josh-allen-bills-saquon-barkley-eagles-2024-nfl-mvp-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/12\/02\/josh-allen-bills-saquon-barkley-eagles-2024-nfl-mvp-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Sorry, Saquon: Bills&#8217; Josh Allen Should Win 2024 NFL MVP Award"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Buffalo Bills were ticketed for a retooling year after an <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/06\/01\/2024-buffalo-bills-53-man-roster-projection-june-otas-minicamp\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">offseason roster overhaul<\/a> saw the departure of several longtime veteran starters. Instead, they&#8217;re 10-2, clinched the AFC East division title with five weeks left and remain in contention for the top seed in the AFC. That&#8217;s why quarterback Josh Allen should be heading toward his first NFL Most Valuable Player Award.<\/p>\n<p>Allen&#8217;s status as the clear front-runner is not a slight to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/eagles\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> running back Saquon Barkley. The former <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/giants\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">New York Giants<\/a> standout is proving the devaluation of the position may have gone too far, but no NFL player is more important to his team&#8217;s success than the Bills signal-caller, and it&#8217;s not particularly close.<\/p>\n<p>Yes, a lot can happen in the season&#8217;s final month, especially with Buffalo and Philly still fighting for playoff positioning. As it stands, however, it should take a catastrophic collapse from Allen for anyone else to take home MVP honors in 2024.<\/p>\n<h2>Josh Allen, Not Saquon Barkley, Should Win 2024 NFL MVP<\/h2>\n<h3>Why Not Barkley?<\/h3>\n<p>Let&#8217;s start by examining why Barkley shouldn&#8217;t win the award despite a fantastic campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/49ers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">San Francisco 49ers<\/a> running back <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/11\/16\/christian-mccaffrey-needs-to-be-managed-better-by-the-49ers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Christian McCaffrey<\/a> put together a similar all-around masterclass. He completely carried the Niners offense at times. Here&#8217;s a look at CMC&#8217;s season compared to the Eagles superstar&#8217;s current pace:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2023 McCaffrey: 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns (16 games)<\/li>\n<li>2024 Barkley: 2,502 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns (17 games)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So Barkley is averaging about 20 more yards per game and, barring a late scoring barrage, will come up a few touchdowns short of McCaffrey.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the issue: CMC wasn&#8217;t even considered a serious threat in the MVP race. He finished third behind winner <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/11\/29\/lamar-jackson-mvp-stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Lamar Jackson<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/ravens\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Baltimore Ravens<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/cowboys\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a>&#8216; <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/31\/dak-prescott-offensive-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Dak Prescott<\/a>. He didn&#8217;t receive a single first-place vote.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/vikings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a> rusher Adrian Peterson was the last non-quarterback to win MVP. That was all the way back in 2012. It&#8217;s created some angst among fans, and possibly even voters, that it&#8217;s become a &#8220;Best QB&#8221; award. Perhaps that&#8217;s the way it should be, though. (More on that later.)<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the Eagles own a star-studded offense with Barkley flanked by quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. He also runs behind the NFL&#8217;s second-best offensive line, as graded by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.profootballnetwork.com\/best-offensive-lines-nfl-rankings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pro Football Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If Barkley, who should win Offensive Player of the Year, missed time then the Eagles would survive. Reserve back Kenneth Gainwell is averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He&#8217;d hold down the fort just fine.<\/p>\n<p>The same can&#8217;t be said if the Bills were without Allen, and that&#8217;s the big difference in a race for Most <strong>Valuable<\/strong> Player.<\/p>\n<h3>Allen&#8217;s Surrounding Circumstances<\/h3>\n<p>Allen arrived to OTAs in the spring with just one wide receiver on the roster who caught a pass from him in 2023: <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/06\/01\/khalil-shakir-drops-clues-2024-buffalo-bills-offense\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Khalil Shakir<\/a>. Most notably, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/05\/bills-texans-preview-stefon-diggs-buffalo-houston\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Stefon Diggs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/09\/20\/jaguars-bills-preview-gabe-davis-return-buffalo-jacksonville\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Gabe Davis<\/a>, who combined for 241 targets last year, were gone.<\/p>\n<p>The Bills quarterback, along with offensive coordinator Joe Brady, started from scratch. It wasn&#8217;t always pretty, which is why the team made a midseason trade with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/browns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Cleveland Browns<\/a> for wideout <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/16\/how-the-amari-cooper-trade-reshapes-the-bills-offense\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Amari Cooper<\/a>, but Buffalo kept winning anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Allen isn&#8217;t the sole reason for that success\u2014football is a team game, after all\u2014but his ability to take over games is the main reason. Everything else is a distant contributing factor.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">THIS IS THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING WE HAVE EVER SEEN.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SNFonNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SNFonNBC<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LzaOt3MDLj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/LzaOt3MDLj<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BuffaloBills\/status\/1863421697346646020?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Do you know who the Bills&#8217; leader in touchdown catches is this season? It&#8217;s Mack Hollins, an eighth-year journeyman playing for his fifth NFL organization. That&#8217;s not a dig against Hollins, who&#8217;s stepped up when called upon, but rather a fact showing Allen turning lemons into lemonade.<\/p>\n<p>Buffalo has been decimated by injuries this season. Wide receiver Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid are among those currently sidelined. Yet, the Bills just knocked off the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chiefs\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/49ers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">San Francisco 49ers<\/a>, last year&#8217;s Super Bowl combatants, in back-to-back games.<\/p>\n<p>Allen&#8217;s growth from a take-too-many-risks rookie into a mature, manage-the-game veteran has been on full display. The 6&#8217;5&#8221;, 237-pound signal-caller stands in the pocket longer. He goes through his progressions faster. He throws balls away instead of forcing the ball into quadruple coverage.<\/p>\n<p>That said, the 28-year-old California native still has a keen sense of when it&#8217;s time to take over. The best example came against the Chiefs, when he put the game on his shoulders in a 4th-and-2 situation where he clinched the game with a 26-yard touchdown run.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?!<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/paramountplus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@paramountplus<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HjhmBiLbcr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/HjhmBiLbcr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BuffaloBills\/status\/1858303456718537030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 18, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Allen is the NFL&#8217;s ultimate game-changer.<\/p>\n<h3>Allen&#8217;s MVP Performance<\/h3>\n<p>It was important to discuss the surrounding circumstances before the numbers because Allen won&#8217;t finish with the most gaudy stat line this season. That&#8217;ll be back like Barkley or Derrick Henry, or another quarterback, likely Jackson, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/lions\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Detroit Lions<\/a>&#8216; Jared Goff or <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bengals\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>&#8216; Joe Burrow.<\/p>\n<p>Allen doesn&#8217;t have the NFL&#8217;s best running back (Henry), the league&#8217;s best RB duo (Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery) or one of the league&#8217;s best wide receiver tandems (Ja&#8217;Marr Chase and Tee Higgins), though. We already discussed the talent around Barkley. That&#8217;s important.<\/p>\n<p>Again, it&#8217;s key to stress: this is a <strong>value<\/strong> award. Who&#8217;s the most <strong>valuable<\/strong> player to their team&#8217;s success. It&#8217;s not about having the best statistical season, though numbers can&#8217;t be disregarded, of course.<\/p>\n<p>Those caveats aside, Allen is still having a fantastic campaign:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Passing: 64.6 percent completion rate, 2,691 yards, 20 touchdowns, 5 interceptions<\/li>\n<li>Rushing: 334 yards, 6 touchdowns, 2 fumbles lost<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Josh Allen is the first QB in NFL history to pass, rush, and catch a TD in a single game \ud83d\udd25 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HWxTQIGQ5B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/HWxTQIGQ5B<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFLonFOX\/status\/1863437787451785644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The University of Wyoming product&#8217;s ability to cut down on turnovers helped him reach peak form. He turned it over 22 times last year. He&#8217;s on pace for 10 this season. That alone is a massive reason the Bills are riding a seven-game winning streak.<\/p>\n<p>Allen is second in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/qbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ESPN&#8217;s<\/a> Total QBR (74.5) and he&#8217;s compiled an elite 85.9 overall grade from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/josh-allen\/46601\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pro Football Focus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So, while his numbers aren&#8217;t the NFL&#8217;s best, they&#8217;re still MVP-level quality.<\/p>\n<h3>Quarterbacks Are Kings of the NFL<\/h3>\n<p>Finally, while Barkley and Henry are showing top-tier running backs can still dominate games, the bottom line remains the same: quarterbacks rule the NFL. When it comes to\u2014back to that key word again\u2014<strong>value<\/strong>, no player on the field comes close to a quarterback. That&#8217;s just the reality.<\/p>\n<p>The Bills are 10-2. If backup Mitchell Trubisky was under center and all the factors\u2014a roster overhaul, an endless string of key injuries and an average defense\u2014were exactly the same, there&#8217;s a realistic chance Buffalo would be 2-10.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Josh Allen MVP leader <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3r8mnBnDU8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3r8mnBnDU8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Football Insights \ud83d\udcca (@fball_insights) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/fball_insights\/status\/1863448296179585285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 2, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Everyone in the Bills organization, from general manager Brandon Beane and head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/06\/20\/bills-sean-mcdermott-hot-seat-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Sean McDermott<\/a> to special-teamers like <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/19\/joe-andreessen-bills-linebacker-buffalo-roster\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">&#8220;Buffalo Joe&#8221; Andreessen<\/a> and resurgent kicker Tyler Bass, deserves credit for Buffalo clinching a playoff spot in early December.<\/p>\n<p>Having said that, Allen isn&#8217;t just the team&#8217;s engine. He&#8217;s the transmission, battery, alternator and radiator. You don&#8217;t even have a car without him.<\/p>\n<p>So, will Allen win MVP? It&#8217;s hard to say. Some analysts appear desperate for a non-QB to win the league&#8217;s highest individual honor and Barkley is giving them strong building blocks for a case. The Bills franchise cornerstone also isn&#8217;t posting any record-breaking overall numbers.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, this statement feels more like a fact despite it being an opinion: no NFL player is more <strong>valuable<\/strong> to their team in 2024 than Josh Allen. Not even close.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Photo Courtesy of Mark Konezny &#8211; Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is having a great season, but Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen should be the 2024 NFL Most Valuable Player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5175,"featured_media":203103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,3],"tags":[7705,2599,8937,8801,2633],"class_list":["post-203060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-bills","tag-buffalo-bills-news","tag-josh-allen","tag-nfl-awards","tag-nfl-mvp","tag-saquon-barkley"],"modified_by":"Drew VonScio","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203060"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203104,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203060\/revisions\/203104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}