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Where does ESPN rank Bills QB Josh Allen in NFL MVP race?

ESPN recently published an updated NFL MVP watch. Where does Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen slot in amongst his peers?

Kyle Silagyi

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The narrative surrounding the annual NFL MVP Award is ever-malleable and shifting, with innumerable ‘mid-season’ MVPs seemingly crowned every year. Discussions regarding the award rarely hold substantial weight until the final weeks of any given campaign, but it’s, regardless, fun to keep track of players’ résumés as the season progresses.

And few players have a stronger case for the award at this juncture than Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Playing with a receiving corps that’s bereft of any marquee names following an offseason overhaul, the veteran signal-caller has been dynamite to start the 2024 campaign, constructing a total touchdown-to-interception ratio of 23-to-seven through 11 games. He’s coming off a heroic outing in Buffalo’s Week 11 triumph over the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs, breaking off a late 26-yard touchdown run to give the Bills a late two-score lead and cement the Chiefs’ first loss of the campaign.

Related: ESPN insider offers injury updates on two key Bills pass-catchers entering bye week

Allen received national fanfare for his performance, with odds at some sportsbooks shifting to position him as the betting favorite for NFL MVP. ESPN feels as though the 28-year-old bolstered his stock in Week 11, but the outlet is not yet ready to deem him the favorite. The brand recently published its latest “MVP watch” article, a ranking of candidates as determined by a panel of 13 ESPN employees; Allen slots in at No. 2 behind only Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“Speaking of Allen, he made his most convincing case yet in Sunday's win against the Chiefs and perennial MVP contender Patrick Mahomes,” panelist Brooke Pryor wrote. “Allen had a touchdown and pick in the win, but his legs made the difference. He ran 12 times for 55 yards, though none was more crucial -- for the win or his MVP candidacy -- than his 26-yard fourth-quarter scramble for the game-sealing touchdown. Perhaps the most impressive part of Allen's MVP campaign is that he's doing it without an established Robin to his Batman. In the aftermath of the Stefon Diggs trade, the Bills have relied on an ensemble cast rather than an elite top receiver. Still, Allen is finding success spreading the ball around. Eleven different Bills players have caught touchdown throws from him.”

Josh Alle
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Pryor notes that Allen is finding immense success despite his reworked receiving corps, which is a significant part of the reason why the Bills sit at a staggering 9-2 entering their bye week. And though the national NFL narrative appears to be firmly in Allen’s favor at this moment, it is tough to hold his stats next to those of Jackson and argue that he’s had the better campaign; through Week 11, Jackson has the edge over Allen in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, interceptions, and rushing yards. A two-time NFL MVP, Jackson has perhaps received the award under questionable circumstances in the past; this would not be one of those seasons.

MVPs aren’t decided after Week 11, however. There’s still a ton of football left to be played and story left to be written; Allen will attempt to add to his case when Buffalo returns from its bye week for a Week 13 Sunday Night Football clash with the San Francisco 49ers.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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