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NFL

This quarterback is leading the MVP race after the Divisional Round

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills held off Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in a clash of MVP candidates on Sunday night from Orchard Park.

Estos son los nominados al MVP de la temporada de la NFL
AL BELLOAFP

The voting for the NFL’s MVP was apparently turned in at the same time as the NFL’s First Team selections were announced last week. Lamar Jackson was voted to the first team which would make you think that the reigning MVP is in line to win a second straight Most Valuable Player award and a third overall, but that’s not what the experts in Las Vegas are seeing.

Here is how the MVP odds are shaping up after the Divisional Round.

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (-250)

The Bills hosted the Ravens in a battle of superstar QBs, and the two favorites to win the NFL’s MVP. Allen had a quiet game for his standards, but in doing so he led his team over Lamar Jackson and Baltimore. He only passed the ball 22 times completing 16 of those passes for 127 yards, and had just 20 yards rushing on ten carries although he did have a couple of rushing TDs that kept Buffalo’s advantage over the Ravens for the final three quarters. It was more about what the Bills QB didn’t do than what he did in the Divisional Round game from Orchard Park. He didn’t throw a game changing pick, or have a momentum swinging fumble. For a guy who has built up an unwanted reputation for turning the ball over, especially games late into the postseason, he made all the right decisions in a game that the Bills knew they had to play nearly perfect football.

Lamar Jackson, QB Baltimore Ravens (+185)

The big game bugaboo reared it’s ugly head for Lamar Jackson in the most important game of the season. The two time MVP looked to be in the best shape, with the best team and the best chance to challenge the Chiefs for their AFC crown this season, but those big game mistakes cost him dearly in the the first half of the Divisional Round. After leading the Ravens to the end zone on the opening drive of the night, he threw a terrible interception that was nowhere near his receiver and on the next possession he fumbled a ball in Bills territory that would be scooped and taken inside the Baltimore 30 yard line in what turned out to be a 14 point swing. Credit to Jackson, he did come out and have a fantastic second half and finishing the game with 254 yards, 2 TDs, but in the end wasn’t enough to top the Bills. Jackson might have got let off the hook by those who wanted to bash him for not winning the big one by Mark Andrews who had a nightmare 4th quarter. He fumbled the ball at the end of a big catch and run to give the Bills possession who went down and stretched the lead to 8 with a Tyler Bass field goal, and then dropped the two point conversion that would have tied the game and potentially sent it to overtime.

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles (+5000)

Saquon had the best outing of anyone in the MVP race and of anyone in the Divisional Round but he is still a long shot to win the MVP. For the second straight time against the LA Rams, he rushed for 200 yards, and almost single handily advanced his team to the Conference Championship. It was a snowy day in Philly and the Eagles were going to need a heavy dose of run game against a Rams team that was on a heater heading into the game on Sunday. He had two massive runs that really changed the game in Philly. His first was taken for a 62 yard TD to put the home team in the lead and his second essentially put the nail in the Rams coffin with a 78 yard TD run to go up 13 points with under 5:00 to play. Those two runs accounted for 140 of his 205 yards in a game that the Eagles ended up almost giving up a late lead. Barkley is the best running back in the game right now and the most influential player left in the playoffs. He won’t win the MVP, but he is the MVP of the Eagles who have a real shot at winning the Lombardi Trophy. Barkley would much prefer to be the MVP of a Super Bowl winning team than an MVP of the league with no ring.

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