Dez Bryant rubbishes Aaron Rodgers' NFL MVP 2023 pick Josh Allen, calls Bills QB stat padder
The 2023 NFL MVP discussion takes an interesting spin, thanks to injured New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP has entered the debate with his analysis that puts Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen ahead of the rest of the pack for the prestigious award.
It is a battle tipped to go down the wire as the NFL MVP odds keep moving weekly. Before Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson led the NFL MVP race after Week 16, San Francisco 49ers duo Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffery, Cowboys star Dak Prescott and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill were the frontrunners over the last few weeks. Yet, for Rodgers, it would be foolish to overlook Allen’s stats for the Bills.
Making an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, Rodgers pushed for Allen’s case for the MVP award if the Bills finish the season 11-6.
"If they finish the last two and win out and if Miami loses their next one, the Week 18 is going to be for the division...," Rodgers said before being interrupted by McAfee. "What if Josh has eight touchdowns the last two weeks and finishes with 48 combined touchdowns? How do you not put him in the conversation?"
Rodgers also conceded that Allen has tossed 15 interceptions this season despite showing glimpses of brilliance throughout the season. In the last 15 games, the Bills quarterback managed to complete 66.5 percent of his passes for 3,778 yards and 27 touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 413 yards and 13 scores.
Dez Bryant dismisses Josh Allen in tight NFL MVP 2023 race
While Rodgers pushed hard for Allen, former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant believes the Bills quarterback is not putting up a show when it mattered the most.
It is no surprise that Bryant favors Jackson over Allen and Purdy for the NFL MVP award. He has been vocal about his support for the Ravens quarterback, especially after Jackson's marvelous performance in team's thumping 33-19 win over Super Bowl favorites 49ers on Christmas Day. NFL star-turned-analyst Richard Sherman quipped Bryant on Twitter/X about Jackson receiving all the help from Ravens' defense, to which the ex-Cowboys star replied:
“Ravens defense is credited for a lot of the team success. You can say the same about the 49ers defense. The world still had Brock Purdy favorite to win the MVP before last night’s game. I say that to say this. It’s going to sound crazy but I think a football mind like yourself will understand this: Lamar “Action” Jackson is the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens can’t function without Lamar. It’s no way the Ravens will be sitting at the #1 spot without Lamar.”
The Bills are second in AFC East standings after narrowly beating the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16. Apart from wins against the Cowboys and Chiefs, the Bills have defeated Tyreek's Dolphins quite comfortably this season. The Ravens currently are the No.1 seed in the AFC, thanks to their incredible run of form which includes blowout victories against the Jacksonville Jaguars (23-7), Detroit Lions (38-6) and Seattle Seahawks (37-3). This only makes the case stronger for Jackson.
Meanwhile, Tyreek is unlikely to register 2,000 receiving yards as anticipated earlier this season, which puts the Dolphins star out of the MVP conversation for now. Allen has an outside chance if the Bills win the AFC East again and maybe even get the No. 2 seed. As we inch closer to the final two weeks of the regular season, it seems like the NFL MVP award belongs to the player who avoids last-minute hurdles.