NFL Fans Irked as Josh Allen Continues to Lead MVP Odds Despite Lamar Jackson’s Stellar Christmas Day Performance

Lamar Jackson delivered a punishing performance (31-2) against the Houston Texans on Christmas Day, but it wasn’t enough to get him past Josh Allen in MVP odds. Voter fatigue may be affecting the Baltimore Ravens star, as the stats say he’s having a better season than Allen; but the odds don’t.

Allen is now standing at -340 odds (from -550) to win the award, while Lamar has improved to a mere +180 (from +400). It’s better than last week, but clearly, not enough to turn the tide in the Ravens quarterback’s favor.

Naturally, Jackson fans weren’t too pleased to see the updated order. And they weren’t afraid to share their thoughts and feelings on the matter. Especially after his dominant three-touchdown performance with no turnovers.

Some fans also backed Allen as the favorite, though. They are saying that the Bills quarterback has already won the award, and with two games left.

To the fans who are upset, we assure you, Jackson still has plenty of chances to win the award. Allen was spotted during the Patriots game on Sunday shaking his hand and didn’t look like he normally does. He threw for just 154 yards and one touchdown against a terrible Pats defense. And he didn’t record a rushing touchdown for the first time in five weeks.

Allen and Lamar’s MVP Case

Lamar has a lot going in his favor for an MVP argument, as we hit the final week of the season. For example, he has 400 more passing yards than Allen and ranks third in the NFL in the category. He’s also tied for the most 39 touchdown passes this season — 13 more than Allen has.

Allen only has a few things going in his favor — rushing touchdowns, for example — 11 to Lamar’s 4. He also led the Bills to beat the Chiefs, which still stands as the defending champs’ only loss this season.

It’s been a tricky MVP debate this time around, but that’s just par for the course. Last year it was Lamar or Christian McCaffrey. In 2021, Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady was hotly contested as well. It seems like as the years go on, the award gets harder and harder to clearly define who should get it.

Analysts have been debating this whole race “What makes an MVP?” Is it the singular value a player brings to a team compared to the rest? Is it simply the best player on the best team? Or is it about rewarding record-breaking seasons?

The truth is, nobody knows, and it’s a combination of all of those reasons and possibly more. It’s a voting system and there won’t always be clarification on what makes a voter vote for someone. That’s the beauty of this process.