How Bills' Josh Allen locked up his first career MVP award despite losing to Rams

Even though Josh Allen turned the NFL clock back 70 years with a performance for the ages, the Buffalo Bills still found a way to lose to the Los Angeles Rams. However, despite the loss, Josh Allen likely locked up his first career NFL Most Valuable Player award in 2024.

Allen passed for 342 yards and rushed for 82 as the Bills (10-3) saw their seven-game winning streak come to a full-speed stop. He became the second player in NFL history with three passing and three rushing touchdowns in a game. Allen also posted his league-record fifth career outing with at least two of each.

The numbers prompted Rams head coach Sean McVay to suggest Allen has roots beyond the planet Earth, according to espn.com.

“Josh Allen is an alien,” McVay said. “Some of the stuff that he can do and the things that he can create, we knew he was capable of that. He’s shown that. That’s why he’s as well-respected and well-regarded in this league as he is.”

Bills QB Josh Allen is unstoppable machine

Whoever sits in the room and decides the MVP award, they may only need two words. Josh Allen. There doesn’t seem to be a defense capable of stopping a speedy giant with a cannon arm and bulldozer frame.

Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan doesn’t have to be convinced about Allen’s MVP worthiness, according to his comments on ESPN’s Get Up.

“Did he look like the best player in the National Football League?” Ryan said. “Oh, he did? Nobody’s ever brought that up. Nobody has ever brought up he’s the best red-zone quarterback in the history of the game.

“Why do I say he’s the best player? Because he match anybody throw for throw. The other thing he does right now, he’s a top-five runner of the football. I never said by position. He’s a top-five runner. How rare is it to have six touchdowns by one player, three rushing and three passing touchdowns. You gotta go back to 1954 when Otto Graham was just dealing in the championship game against my Lions.”

Allen has previously ventured into the MVP territory. He finished second in the AP voting in 2020, throwing for 4,544 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 421 yards and eight scores.

In 2022, Allen finished third in the voting with numbers of 4,283 yards passing, 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. On the ground he had 762 yards and seven scores.

Then he took fifth place in 2023, passing for 4,306 yards with 29 TDs and 18 picks. He added 524 yards rushing and 15 ground scores.

However, things have come fully into place in 2024. Allen has been the best version of himself. He’s off pace in terms of passing yards and could finish below 4,000 for the first time since 2019. However, his touchdown-to-interception ratio is pristine with 23 scoring tosses and only five picks. He’s on pace for a career low in interceptions. Rushing-wise this year, Allen is on pace for 544 yards and 12 scores.

So it’s clear Allen won’t get the award based on pure numbers. What has to be considered is the Bills no longer have an alpha receiver — although the hope is Amari Cooper will eventually reach that land with his new team. Despite this, Allen has guided the team into position for a No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

The Bills were fighting for the top spot, but the loss to the Rams leaves them two games behind the Chiefs with only four games left to play.

Left tackle Dion Dawkins said Allen gives the Bills an advantage every time they step onto the field, according to espn.com.

“It's hard to win in this league, but when our quarterback can continue to heat up and get in his rhythm and get his feel, it's a plus in our book cause we're still pushing forward,” Dawkins said. “When Josh Allen is Josh Allen, everybody's better. With six touchdowns, it's incredible. That's hard in this league, and for Josh to continue to go in and out of every week with the MVP mindset that just shows who our leader truly is.”

Running back Ty Johnson said it’s a privilege to be on Allen’s team.

“You can't make (the statistics) up,” running back Ty Johnson said. “You see that hunger to keep making plays and put points on the board. It's a spectacle to see and I'm glad to be his teammate.”

Part of that leadership expresses itself in the way Allen looked at Sunday’s loss. He had a historic performance, but he focused on what his team could have done to get the win.

“We got to come out with some urgency though and I don't think in any phase of the game did we do that today,” Allen said. “We'll talk about it as a team and try to figure it out… playing (in a) playoff atmosphere, a team that's playing like they're in the playoffs right now and just again just trying to learn from this and move on.”

But Allen said it’s a matter of execution, according to atozsports.com.

“I was just trying to go out there and execute the play call to the best of my ability,” Allen said. “And we didn't do that well enough tonight. I don't know the stats. (And) I don't know how well we were on third down, or my completion percentage. I don't know any of that. (But) I just know it wasn't good enough to win a football game. We've got to make one more play than they do. We feel like we didn't play up to our standard, and it starts with me.”

It certainly won't hurt Allen's case if the Bills can finish the season strong. The loss to the Rams didn't help matters, but a 14-3 mark would boost Allen's chances of getting the honor. The first step isn't easy as the Bills must travel to take on the Detroit Lions. However, they have pushovers for the final three games. The Bills get to play lowly New England twice and the paper-thin Jets inbetween.