Philadelphia Eagles Running Back Saquon Barkley (right) NFL MVP Leaders
As we adjust our clocks and flip our calendars from fall to winter, we are nearing the end of another record-setting season in the National Football League. This season, there have been many notable performances from Super Bowl favorites. It was a forgettable season by a veteran who was expected to erase a franchise playoff hideous. However, this article will give you an idea of who has had the best season in the NFL and who is most deserving of the coveted Most Valuable Player of the Year award.
With just a few weeks to go in this season, although the season isn’t complete and the final stats haven’t been recorded, we have a solid idea of those players legitimately deserving the Most Valuable Player award. Some players resurrected their careers, and some were so dominant this season that their play surpassed everyone who would get mentioned in this category.
While Russell Wilson had an impressive return to form, playing on his second team after being unceremoniously dumped by the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson was kept off the field during the first six weeks of the season due to a calf injury he sustained in pre-season. Since entering the starting lineup for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Wilson-led Steelers has a 6-1 record while averaging nearly eight points a game more per game with him behind center rather than on the sidelines. Wilson transformed the Steelers into a favorite to win the AFC North and all but assured them their spot in the NFL tournament.
Despite playing on a historically bad defense, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has shown why he is a top-five quarterback in the NFL this year despite their record. Burrow has thrown for 300-plus yards in five games this season and the Bengals are an astounding 0-5 in those games. Not only have the Bengals averaged 28 points per game with Burrow at quarterback. Yet, he has thrown 300 plus yards and three, or more, touchdowns in three consecutive games, and strangely the Bengals have lost each of the games heading into their Monday night contest against the Dallas Cowboys.
Additionally, the Bengals have four losses when scoring 33 points or more this season conversely, Tom Brady had four losses when his team scored 33 or more points in his 333 career starts. So, while statistically, Burrow is having a fantastic year, he’ll likely be at home watching the NFL playoffs, like you and I.
The two-time Associated Press Most Valuable Player award-winning Lamar Jackson was on pace to win his third MVP award until about three weeks ago. Having scored 20 points, or more, in their previous 13 games this season, the Jackson-led Ravens have scored less than 20 points in their two most recent losses. Not to mention, Jacksons’ chances to win a third MVP was already hindered with the Baltimore Ravens addition of the big bully-style running back Derrick Henry, who is averaging an impressive 5.9 yards per carry and a league-leading 13 touchdowns. The Ravens inability to close out two of their tougher opponents in recent weeks knocked Jackson and Henry out of MVP consideration.
By acquiring the two-time pro bowler in the off-season, the Philadelphia Eagles got an upper-echelon running back while simultaneously weakening their division rival by signing the 2018 AP Rookie of the Year, Saquon Barkley. Adding a premiere running back to one of the most potent rushing attacks in the NFL was a no-brainer and a great off-season addition.
As fond as I am of NFL running backs, even I couldn’t predict Barkley would lead the league with 6.1 rushing yards per carry and an impressive 124.8 rushing yards per game. Even more surprising is why the New York Giants allowed Barkley to hit the market, to count on an unproven quarterback.
Not only is Barkley approaching Chris Johnson’s single-season record of 2,509 yards combined yards from scrimmage that he set in 2009, but Barkley is also 120 rushing yards per game from breaking Eric Dickerson’s long-standing single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. In addition to challenging these impressive records, Barkley made arguably the most athletic play by an running back NFL fans have seen, when he hurdled a Jacksonville Jaguars defender backwards, en route to 199 combined yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
“That fourth down run, that ended up being a game-winning touchdown (against the Chiefs), that Josh Allen had. That was a signature moment. However, does he have another,” questioned USA Today’s NFL Reporter Tyler Dragon on the Voice of the Fans podcast. “Lamar (Jackson) has one almost every win. He has to almost because that defense is so bad.”
Against their nemesis, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen closed the game out with an impressive 26-yard touchdown run. That was just one of his signature moments this season, as a couple of weeks later, against the San Francisco 49ers, Allen became only the 4th player to have a passing touchdown and a receiving touchdown on the same play.
Even though Josh Allen isn’t having his best statistical season, he is being more careful with the football. Through 14 weeks this season, Allen has thrown 23 touchdowns and only five interceptions. In his seven years in the NFL Allen has averaged 11.1 interceptions per season, which equates to 2.3 interceptions per pass attempt, this season Allen averaged a career-best 1.3 interceptions per pass attempt.
Along with throwing fewer interceptions this season, Allen has had numerous “signature moments,” that are required to win the NFL MVP award. In week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, Allen became the first player to score three touchdowns passing and three rushing touchdowns since the legendary Otto Graham did it in 1954.
With just a few more weeks left in the season, Barkley and Allen are the leaders in the clubhouse for the 2024 NFL MVP award. However, unless Barkley breaks Johnson’s single-season yards from scrimmage record or Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, I think Allen has the inside track to be this season’s Most Valuable Player award winner. Who do you have winning the 2024 National Football League Most Valuable Player Award?
Please share your thoughts with me on X at https://x.com/whatsgoodnsport
