When there are several contenders for an award or recognition, it is predictable that when a winner is announced, there will be voices – not necessarily those of the people involved – who will claim rigging, preferences or that such a decision was made in advance. This is the case of the selection of Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen as the Most Valuable Player of the 2024-2025 season in the NFL, on Thursday night at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans.
This narrative is fueled by the fact that during the last few months, the name of Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson gained strength as the heavy favorite, who ultimately lost out at the NFL Honors, thanks to the votes of 50 media experts who voted for him 27 times at number one, compared to 23 for Jackson. While the final vote was close, the 383-362 numbers leave no doubt.
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“It doesn’t make any sense”
However, the voices that always appear to create controversy were not long in coming. Like that of former Cincinnati Bengals player Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson, who while on the scene while broadcasting an episode of his ‘Nightcap’ podcast said the vote was rigged: “That’s crazy. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s not a testimony, it’s the games they play. They choose who they want, regardless of the accolades, regardless of your resume and the numbers. The numbers speak for themselves, based on what Lamar has done,” said the former wide receiver for teams such as the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.
The data undoubtedly favors Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson’s status as the favorite was based on his overall numbers, as despite having a better completion rate, more passing yards, more touchdown passes, more rushing yards and fewer interceptions, he had to settle for second place, seeing Allen win, who only won in the comparison in the category of more rushing TDs.
And if that wasn’t enough, even though the Ravens finished with just one less win than the Bills, they did not have the best record in the AFC, and in the regular season matchup between the two teams on September 29 at M&T Bank Stadium, the former thrashed the latter 35-10 with a great performance by Jackson, over a forgettable outing by Allen
Was Chad Ochocinco wrong to claim Allen’s favoritism over Jackson?
