Who’s your MVP?
Even with the remarkable campaign from Saquon Barkley, the former New York Giant, it’s pretty much a two-superstar race for NFL Most Valuable Player honors.
Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen?
That’s like asking if you’d rather have chocolate or vanilla. A cupcake or a muffin. A prawn or a shrimp.
Really, there is no wrong answer. Jackson, the two-time MVP for the Baltimore Ravens, had his best season yet. Allen, the fire beneath the Buffalo Bills, had his best season yet.
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In many ways, it’s a wash. Jackson became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards in a season while rushing for 900. Allen became the first player ever to pass for at least two touchdowns and run for two touchdowns in consecutive weeks.
Jackson, whose potential as a pocket passer was severely doubted when he came out of Louisville, had the fourth-best passer rating in league annals (119.6) and threw just four interceptions. Allen, who used to have significant problems with untimely turnovers, threw just six picks this season while leading a unit that had the fewest giveaways by an NFL team since 1990 (eight).
Allen sparkled in big-game victories against the Chiefs and Lions, who are both resting this weekend as the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences. Jackson sparkled in the head-to-head matchup against Allen and outdueled Joe Burrow twice, too.
No wrong answer between the two 28-year-olds. With the honor based on regular-season credentials, the deadline for casting ballots was Wednesday. Whatever happens this weekend when the prized quarterbacks from the 2018 NFL draft class open the playoffs won’t affect the outcome. Yet by the time the MVP is officially revealed during the week of Super Bowl 59, we’ll know the update to another key question.
Can either of these guys beat Patrick Mahomes when it matters most?
See, winning the MVP award – which for Allen would be a first, while Jackson could become the sixth man to win it three times – is just the appetizer in the context of the bigger picture of greatness.
Sure, only a few have claimed MVP hardware. It’s an honor to be cherished. But as they finish up their seventh pro seasons, it’s the perfect time to be reminded that a big reason why Jackson and Allen have never played in a Super Bowl is because Mahomes has stood in the way.
For all the factors that make the MVP debate so intriguing, maybe the most significant thing Jackson and Allen have in common is that they’ve never beaten Mahomes in the playoffs. We’ll see if this is the year one of them can break through.
“The year that those quarterbacks have had for those two teams? It’s crazy,” Ronnie Lott, the Hall of Fame safety who won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, pondered this week. “But there’s only one Michael Jordan, and there’s only one Mahomes.
“Can they eventually take him down? Lamar or Josh. I don’t know.”
Last year, Mahomes and the Chiefs eliminated the Bills and the Ravens in successive weeks on the path to repeating as Super Bowl champs. For Allen, it was the third time he was victimized in such fashion by Kansas City.
Jackson was stung in the AFC title game after Baltimore claimed the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage. With Jackson committing two turnovers and absorbing four sacks, the Ravens’ No. 1-ranked offense was stymied. The result dropped Jackson’s career playoff record to 2-4 and, as he freely admits, provided motivational fuel throughout this season.
“To be honest with you, the only one I do think about is the AFC championship,” Jackson said this week, asked about the playoff setbacks. “That’s probably the only playoff game I think about, like it was right there.”
Allen can relate. His most crushing playoff setback came nearly three years ago in the AFC divisional playoff at Arrowhead Stadium, when Mahomes engineered a game-tying field goal drive in the final 13 seconds of the fourth quarter that sent the game to overtime.
Now comes the chance for both to make another run at a championship, with the prospect that they will square off in the divisional round. The Ravens open the playoffs by hosting the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime); the Bills host the Denver Broncos on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). If they both advance, they’ll meet the following weekend at Buffalo.
After that, Mahomes – who owns three Super Bowl MVP trophies to go with two MVP awards – will likely be waiting in the AFC championship game.
Surely, they have heard the noise. Super Bowl or bust. Allen and Jackson established themselves long ago as elite, but without the championship crown they are forced to endure, fairly or not, a narrative of whether they can win the big one.
Allen, with a 5-5 career playoff record, was asked this week about balancing the typical one-game-at-a-time focus with the championship mission. He implied that he’s more concerned about the Broncos than the big picture of the playoff chase.
“You’ve got to put one foot in front of the other,” Allen said.
Jackson can relate. As brilliant as he’s been during the regular season, he has just as many playoff wins as MVP trophies. And in six postseason games, he’s had just as many interceptions (six) as touchdown passes (six).
But never mind pressure from the outside. He realizes there’s no need to increase it from within.
“I just (get) too excited, that’s all,” Jackson said, reflecting on his playoff experiences. “Too antsy. I’m seeing things before it happens, like oh, I’ve got to calm myself down. Just being more experienced. I’ve found a way to balance it out.”
Maybe that’s the ticket to achieves the ultimate measure of greatness — and maybe even getting the best of Mahomes.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell on X @JarrettBell