Ten weeks into the NFL season, the MVP race is shaping up to be a three-horse race between Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen. The reigning MVP is arguably the current frontrunner to win the award, but Mahomes or Allen could usurp him with a strong finish to the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliot shared his take on the race on the “Punch Line” Podcast with Marlon Murphy and claimed it’s a two-way battle between the Jackson and the Chiefs superstar. He ruled out the Bills quarterback citing his turnover rate as the reason to discard his odds. He said:
“Going for that 3rd MVP, I mean behind Pat Mahomes, has to be him [Lamar Jackson]. Technically I mean nobody else is really doing it like him really. You can say Josh Allen here and there but he’s a turnover magnet. It’s true. He’s a turnover magnet. I’m going keep it a bean at all times.” [From 4:12]
Turnovers have been a persistent issue for Allen throughout his career. He has thrown less than 10 interceptions in a season only once in his career. Last year, he tossed a career-high 18 picks.
This season, he was careful with the ball and did not throw an interception in his first seven outings. But old habits die hard, and the reckless gunslinger has reappeared in the last three games, as he tossed four picks in the Bills’ last three games.
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They haven’t hurt the team, as they won all three games, but as Elliot claimed, they could affect his odds of winning the MVP award.
Lamar Jackson for MVP: Josh Allen has a mountain to climb
It’ll likely take near-perfect football from Josh Allen in Buffalo’s remaining seven games to usurp Lamar Jackson in the race for the coveted prize. The reigning MVP has been exceptional this season and DeShon Elliot has been thoroughly impressed with his performances. On the Podcast with Marlon Humphrey, he praised his division rival and said:
“[Lamar Jackson] back to being skinnier which means he’s faster. He’s a lot more quick this year… I think his IQ is raised. The game slowed down for even more over time. He’s relying less on running downfield but still getting out of the pocket to create plays downfield for his receivers. He has a great tight end as well.” [From 3:40]
Jackson’s ability as a passer has always been scrutinized, but he has silenced his critics with his exceptional passing numbers this season. He leads the NFL in passing touchdowns, passing yards per attempt, and passer rating. He’s second in the league in passing yards with 2,662, a mere three yards behind leader Joe Burrow.
His 69.1% pass completion rate is second among quarterbacks with at least 2,500 passing yards, trailing only Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Baker Mayfield (70.6). Jackson’s touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12 is also the best in the NFL.
The cherry on top is that he’s still the best rushing quarterback in the league. He has 512 yards on the ground and is the only signal-caller with over 500. Rookie Jayden Daniels is in second place with 464 rushing yards.
Mahomes and Allen are still in the race only because there are seven games left in the campaign. They have plenty of catching up to do to stop Jackson from winning the MVP award for the third time in his career.
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