Lamar vs. Josh: The Battle for MVP Bragging Rights: Ravens’ QB Reacts to MVP Honor, Ready for Josh Allen Clash
It certainly seems that either Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills will ultimately earn the regular-season Most Valuable Player Award for the ongoing campaign at the “NFL Honors” show held before Super Bowl LIX takes place in February.
On Tuesday, Jackson reacted to being selected by local reporters as Baltimore’s MVP for a franchise-record fourth time.
“Thank you guys. That means a lot,” Jackson said, as shared by Ryan Mink of the Ravens’ website. “My home team – well this is my second home right here – so home team media. I owe this to my teammates and you guys. I appreciate you all a lot, definitely.”
While some named Allen the uncrowned 2024-25 MVP as far back as November, Jackson made the race much more interesting thanks largely to his play during a three-game winning streak that has the 11-5 Ravens a victory over the lowly Cleveland Browns (3-13) on Saturday away from claiming the AFC North division title.
Per the StatMuse website, Jackson will head into this weekend second in the NFL with a combined 4,807 passing and rushing yards. He’s also second with 43 total passing and rushing touchdowns.
To compare, Allen is eighth in total yards (4,262) and fourth in total scores (40). According to Pro Football Reference, Jackson leads the NFL with a 78.0 adjusted QBR on the campaign. Allen is third with a 76.7 adjusted QBR.
As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Allen as the overall betting favorite at -300 odds to win MVP honors over Jackson (+225). However, The Athletic’s Mike Jones is among those who believe Jackson should become a three-time regular-season MVP this winter.
Unsurprisingly, Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum agrees with Jones.
“Yes, absolutely,” Linderbaum responded on Tuesday when asked if he views Jackson as the MVP. “I get to see Jackson every day [and] the things he’s able to do, and then carrying it over to the game. He’s just a special player. He’s extremely fun to play with – just the things he’s able to do – and think there’s no one more deserving of that award than Lamar Jackson.”
Allen has the 13-3 Bills locked into the No. 2 seed for the AFC portion of the postseason tournament, so it’s possible he already is the unnamed MVP for this season. With that said, Jackson could potentially take some votes away from Allen by producing a stellar performance in a Week 18 win over the Browns.
