Josh Allen and the Bills have been the most convincing and consistent this NFL season. And as the MVP race heats up, it’s unsurprising to see the quarterback emerge as the favorite on many fans’ and even analysts’ lists. However, for Nick Wright of FS1, Saquon Barkley is the frontrunner, not Allen.
Advertisement
In the latest episode of “First Things First,” Nick, while sharing his take on the MVP race, asserted that Allen will finish in a “strong second place” from the lens he has been viewing the competition.
Despite the QB leading the Bills to an impressive 10-2 record, Nick argued that ignoring Saquon Barkley would be wrong, especially since the award shouldn’t revolve around QBs. Well, it has in the 21st century, but Nick pointed out that the Eagles star is having one of the best-ever seasons for an RB in league history, and QB favoritism keeping him out of the top spot is simply unfair.
“I think he should be a strong second place. I am fine with the quarterback being weighted. I’m not okay with quarterback being so weighted that a guy who might be having one of the five or six best running back seasons ever for a team that is just as good is thrown out.”
Apart from Saquon at first and Josh Allen finishing second, Nick argued that the rest of the three spots in his top 5 list are up for debate. The analyst did, however, note Joe Burrow as a close contender to Josh Allen in his list.
“Burrow’s close, but I think he’s [Josh Allen] the quarterback who deserves it,” shared Nick.
Now that we have the opinions heard, what do the stats say? Interestingly enough, statistically, Saquon Barkley triumphs Josh Allen when compared head to head.
Saquon Barkley deserves to be the NFL MVP this season
When one compares Allen and Barkley based on the success they have had with their teams, their performances have been quite similar. While Josh and the Bills are atop the AFC East with seven consecutive unbeaten games, the Eagles are also 10-2, at the top of the NFC East with eight consecutive unbeaten games. The difference, however, lies in their exploits.
While Josh Allen has made some sprawling plays this season, statistically, he is not even amongst the top 5 QBs with the most TDs this season. In fact, Joe Burrow, who has 30 passing TDs this season, has 10 more than Allen’s 20. A deeper look at Josh’s passing reveals that he has had a rather average season in terms of completion and passing yards.
For context, Josh is 14th at passing yards, 20th at completion percentage, sixth in passing touchdowns, has fifth-fewest interceptions, and is 10th in passer rating. Stats like these don’t scream MVP candidate despite the success and consistent ability he has displayed so far.
Saquon Barkley, on the other hand, is on pace to break the single-season rushing record [2,105 yards]. When it comes to big games, Barkley proved his mettle by becoming the first RB to rush over 100 yards against the Baltimore Ravens’ highly regarded run defense.
On one hand, we have a contender who is arguably not even the best in his position, and on the other, we have a running back who is putting up a performance that would make him one of the greatest to ever play in his position.
Considering the collective success achieved by both is the same, backing Barkley for the MVP award is not the toughest decision to make.
