DeMeco Ryans gets blunt on Lamar Jackson's MVP candidacy amid Josh Allen's surge for the crownÂ
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are tightly enshrined in the battle for the 2024 NFL MVP. The quarterbacks have been playing at a high level since the start of the year, and there's no clear-cut favorite until the regular season is over.
Winning back-to-back MVPs is not a rarity in the NFL, with Aaron Rodgers doing it most recently in 2020 and 2021. Lamar is the reigning MVP and a two-time winner, also taking the award in 2019; Allen, on the other hand, has not won the award, being overshadowed by Jackson, Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes in his best years.
The betting odds are shifted in favor of the Bills quarterback. But that's far from a unanimous opinion: Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, who'll face Lamar Jackson on Wednesday during the Christmas games, thinks that the Ravens quarterback is the one who truly deserves the award in 2024:
This will be the third meeting between Lamar and DeMeco Ryans since the latter became the Houston Texans head coach. In 2023, the Texans' season started and ended at the hands of the Ravens, who won both in the regular season and the playoffs.
Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen: Which quarterback has the best stats?
The passing stats for the Ravens quarterback are extremely impressive. He has 67.9% of completed passes, 3,787 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Those are all career highs for him and there are still two games left to play this season.
Allen, on the other hand, has inferior numbers. He holds 63.8% of completed passes, 3,549 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and just six interceptions. The stats favor Lamar.
However, Allen's true impact on the Bills' roster cannot be dismissed - he can solely win games for them, as he did in the crucial recent showdown against the Detroit Lions. The biggest critics of Jackson often argue that he has failed to lead them in wins against strong opponents, especially those in the conference.
Another thing that could be against Lamar is the fact that Allen has never won the award. Voters could be compelled to advocate for a change.