Josh Allen was under pressure to have a big game in Week 17 against the New York Jets. Both Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson had excellent performances before the Buffalo Bills played, and the two AFC North quarterbacks climbed up the MVP ladder.
The Bills star didn’t disappoint his fans as he led his team to a 40-14 win against the Jets. He finished the game with 182 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown to further bolster his chances of winning the MVP award.
Keon Coleman Makes Strong Statement on Josh Allen’s MVP Claim
Keon Coleman, the Bills’ first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, scored a stunning touchdown against the Jets. After the game, he made sure to remind everyone that Allen is the clear-cut MVP in his mind and the race should have been over a few weeks ago.
“It took this long? I think he [Allen] was the MVP five games ago,” Coleman said after the win against the Jets.
Keon Coleman just SINGLE-HANDEDLY won Josh Allen the MVP.
The Bills rookie WR is a FREAK 🔥 pic.twitter.com/A7lBr5xXgs
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) December 29, 2024
In 16 games this season, Allen has thrown for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a career-low number of six interceptions. He has also rushed for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
The Bills quarterback doesn’t have better stats than Jackson or Burrow, but his supporting cast arguably isn’t as good as the other two MVP candidates. Burrow has the luxury of playing with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, while Derrick Henry’s addition has opened up the game passing game for Jackson in Baltimore.
Allen has led the Bills to another division title, and the team has already won 13 games after an offseason in which the quarterback lost his WR1 and WR2, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. The 28-year-old quarterback has brought the best out of his teammates and also not turned the ball over, which was the major critique against him coming into this season.
Bills QB Needs To Deliver in the Postseason
Allen is currently on his way to winning the first MVP award of his career for his performance this season if current betting odds hold. However, he needs a deep playoff run under his belt to shut down his critics who want Jackson or Burrow to win the award.
If the current seeding holds, the Bills will likely play the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round. Buffalo would likely be favored in that game, but things will get interesting in the Divisional Round.
If the Ravens win their Wild Card matchup, they could face the Bills in the second round of the playoffs. Allen already suffered an embarrassing 35-10 loss to Jackson’s team earlier this season, and if he loses to them in the Divisional Round, his reputation could suffer.
Allen is 5-5 in his postseason career and has thrown for 2,723 yards, 21 touchdowns, and four interceptions, completing 64.6% of his throws with a passer rating of 100.0.
The Bills quarterback hasn’t struggled personally in the playoffs and already has a win against the Ravens in the postseason. However, out of the five games Allen has lost in the playoffs, three have come against Patrick Mahomes and one each against Burrow and Deshaun Watson.
Allen and the Bills need a win against a quality team with an elite quarterback in the playoffs. Due to this, the potential Divisional Round matchup against Jackson and the Ravens will be huge for them.
Not many will criticize Allen and the Bills if they lose again in the AFC Championship Game to the Kansas City Chiefs, but a loss to the Ravens will be catastrophic for the AFC East champions.