Why beloved former Bills RB believes Josh Allen should win NFL MVP

Former Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy believes that Josh Allen should earn NFL MVP honors this year.

Kyle Silagyi | Nov 22, 2024

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The pendulum has swung firmly in favor of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen with regard to the NFL MVP race, with the veteran signal-caller propelling himself to the forefront of the conversation with his stellar outing in his team’s Week 11 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He played well throughout the entire contest, but his heroic 26-yard game-sealing touchdown run in the fourth quarter is what prompted immense fanfare, with odds at some sportsbooks shifting to position Allen as the MVP frontrunner following his score.

National pundits have heaped praise on Allen in the days following the clash, with many crowning him as the MVP favorite through 11 weeks. Former Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy is among those who feel as though Allen is set to earn MVP honors this season, raving about his former teammate’s play during a recent appearance on the Buffalo Plus podcast.

“Not to even brag, but I knew he would win the game because the scenario,” McCoy said. “Like, you’ve got the champs, close game, third down doesn’t work out, now it’s fourth-and-two, fourth-and-three, you go for it, obviously . . . Josh took over. That’s what he does, though.

“Josh is right there with [the top quarterbacks in football]. When it’s clutch moments, he’s going to take over, and that’s why he should be your MVP this season.”

McCoy went on to talk about why he was confident in Allen’s ability to take over and win the game when the lights were brightest, noting a play from Week 3 of the quarterback’s rookie season in which he hurdled over Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr.

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“I guess it’s different for me because I’m used to it,” McCoy said. “I remember his first big crazy splashy play, we played the Vikings, he was a rookie. And he hops over the defender . . . And I’m thinking, like, ‘Dang, this is the worst we’ll ever see Josh Alen [is] as a rookie.’ And now you see him each year get better and better and better, and the funny thing is, most linebackers [and] defensive players, they can’t wait to see a quarterback run it. They’re gonna take his head off. Well, with Josh, you kind of overthink that, ‘He might try to take my head off.’ And that’s why he’s so special; he can run, he can do everything you want him to do.”

McCoy has long been a vocal supporter of Allen, publicly stating that he had the potential to be “special” during the quarterback’s debut minicamp. The legendary running back played with some elite field generals throughout his career (Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, to name a few), but he always roots for Allen to succeed; if Shady is to be believed, this season could culminate with the quarterback’s most significant individual accolade yet.

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