“It’s Close”: Shannon Sharpe Reacts to the NFL MVP Race Between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson

As the playoffs are near, the MVP race is heating up. Josh Allen was the clear favorite for the honors up until last week, but Lamar Jackson’s wipeout performance against the Houston Texans has planted the seeds of doubt in the minds of some. Shannon Sharpe, however, has consistently supported Jackson for MVP.

But there’s a catch. During the latest episode of Nightcap, co-host Chad Johson asked Sharpe if he thinks Jackson could still win the MVP honors, even if Josh Allen puts up another massive performance next week against the Jets, and manages to outperform Jackson.

According to Sharpe, the deciding factor could be Allen’s decision to play in the last game of the season:

“I think it’s close Ocho. If they win tomorrow, they clinch the second seed. So, does Josh Allen play the last game of the season? Lamar is going to play. Because right now they’re first place in the AFC North. If Pittsburgh wins next week and Baltimore loses Pittsburgh rejumps them and then they’re on the road rather than at home.”

Buffalo will secure the No. 2 seed with a win against the New York Jets on Sunday. Heading into Christmas, Allen was the consensus favorite to win MVP with -500 odds, while Jackson had +350 odds.

After Jackson’s impressive performance against the Texans, Allen now has -190 odds while Jackson has +140 odds. As Sharpe pointed out, the odds have become much closer now.

As he also noted, if the Bills secure a victory on Sunday, they may opt to rest quarterback Josh Allen in Week 18, given that their playoff position would already be secured. This scenario suggests that Allen’s chances of winning the MVP award could hinge significantly on his performance against New York.