Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson is a hot topic of debate in the NFL world right now. Everyone is arguing over who deserves the MVP nod, and Dan Orlovsky has a take that could settle the debate once and for all. On First Take, the former quarterback didn’t hold back and got into a serious debate over which quarterback should win the award, which even led Orlovsky to point out the flaws in the voting process.
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Stephen A. Smith started the argument by saying that if Allen and Jackson continue to play at the same level for the rest of the season, Allen should be the MVP. However, fellow co-host Jason McCourty disagreed.
McCourty stated that Lamar has faced tougher competition than Allen. And it instantly prompted Orlovsky to go on a rant about the flaws with the MVP award today.
“Well, we also have lost sight of the award,” Orlovsky professed. “Lamar is having a great season. Lamar is going to have great seasons every year he’s breathing essentially. But, it’s not the ‘great player’ award, it’s the MVP, the ‘most valuable player’ award.”
Orlovsky continued to support his claims against McCourty, saying that he believes Buffalo has a less talented offense on paper compared to Baltimore. But it’s been Allen who’s been elevating that entire team in Buffalo and showing his true value.
While Lamar doesn’t have the same assortment of weapons, he still has All-Pros like Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews. Allen has maybe one, and he’s not even a wide receiver; it’s his running back, James Cook.
“We can’t fall into the trap of, ‘Lamar is having a great season so every year, he’s the MVP.'” Orlovsky continued. “He has great seasons every year. Guess what, next year Lamar is going to have a great year (again).”
.@danorlovsky7 on why Josh Allen should be the MVP favorite over Lamar Jackson
“It’s not the ‘great player’ award, it’s the MVP, the ‘most valuable player’ award.” pic.twitter.com/CPP4RJvgJG
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 19, 2024
While Lamar and the Ravens hold a 9-5 record and a firm playoff spot, it has been a bit of a disappointing road to this point. They are just average against teams over .500, going 3-3 so far.
They’ve also had some glaringly bad losses to the likes of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. At times, it just seems like the Ravens’ offense goes stagnant, while the Bills have only scored less than 20 points once this season. Ironically, it was in a 35-10 loss to the Ravens.
There is a lot of recency bias going in Allen and the Bills’ favor, though. They just played in two of the most high-scoring matchups of the season in back-to-back weeks. Not only that, but Allen has looked unstoppable. Anything he wants to do on the field, he has been capable of pulling off. Allen has 10 total touchdowns and zero turnovers combined in Weeks 14-15
It’s going to be an interesting MVP race down the stretch. Allen may hold the advantage now; Lamar is also capable of going on a crazy statistical run in these final three weeks. On tab, Lamar and the Ravens face Pittsburgh, Houston, and Cleveland to finish out the season. On the other hand, Allen and the Bills turn their attention towards New England twice and the New York Jets.
