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Hall of Famer says Josh Allen edged Lamar Jackson in the MVP race 'for the wrong reason'

Josh Allen finally earned his first MVP award Thursday night by a slim margin.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback edged Lamar Jackson by 21 points. Allen received 27 first-place votes to Jackson’s 23.

Allen has been a perennial MVP candidate throughout his career but had always fallen short prior to Thursday.

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He was a finalist three previous times, and with Jackson having just won last year, one Hall of Famer suggested Allen received sympathy votes this year.

“I get it, because [Josh] is a great quarterback. He hadn’t won one. Lamar had two. And they’re like, ‘Let’s just give him one.’ But that’s the wrong reason,” Jonathan Ogden told TMZ Sports. “But it’s all good. What are you going to do? But they made the wrong choice. But that’s all good.

“I don’t want it to sound like I’m hating on Josh because the brother is a tremendous quarterback. But he didn’t have the year Lamar had.”

Jackson’s numbers do trump Allen’s mostly across the board, but there is something to be said about Allen’s Bills running away with their division despite letting go of top receiver Stefon Diggs.

This season marked the first time since 2019 Allen did not pass for 4,000 yards, but he did lead the NFL with a 77.4 total QBR. While his 28 passing touchdowns were also his lowest since 2019, he did run for 12 touchdowns, the second most of his career.

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After winning his second MVP award last year, Jackson hit career highs with his first 4,000-yard campaign and his first season throwing 40 touchdowns.

Allen got the benefit of a rather subpar division, clinching the AFC East Dec. 1. But it became clear that as long as Allen is in the fold, the Bills have a chance to compete.

Allen received 22 second-place votes to Jackson’s 26 (Saquon Barkley and Joe Burrow each received one), while Allen also got a third-place vote. Jackson recorded a fourth-place vote.

This comes despite Jackson receiving more first-team All-Pro votes than Allen. It’s the first time since 1987 (John Elway) a first-team All-Pro did not win the MVP.

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February 8, 2025
Bills’ Josh Allen wins 1st career NFL MVP

Josh Allen finally has some hardware.

The Buffalo Bills quarterback was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the first time on Thursday.

Fans wondered what Allen would do after the Bills traded Stefon Diggs in the offseason. Well, he clearly was just fine.

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leaves the field after a game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium. (Mark Konezny-Imagn Images)

Allen threw 28 touchdowns against a career-low six interceptions while also scoring a dozen touchdowns with his legs. Allen’s 77.4 QBR was the NFL’s best, which is more impressive considering he didn’t exactly have household names to throw to – Khalil Shakir led the team in targets (100), receptions (76), and yards (821).

Allen got the benefit of a rather subpar division, clinching the AFC East on Dec. 1. But, it became very clear that as long as Allen is in the fold, the Bills will have a chance to compete.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

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He beat out Lamar Jackson narrowly – perhaps the AFC divisional round was foreshadowing of the MVP vote, as Allen’s Bills pulled out a narrow 27-25 win over Baltimore two and a half weeks ago.

Allen is yet to get over the Kansas City Chiefs hump, losing to them for a fourth time in the playoffs in the AFC title game. However, a long-coveted MVP is finally on Allen’s resume.

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Allen also beat out Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, and Jared Goff.

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February 7, 2025
Jared Allen, Antonio Gates headline Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Four players were announced as the next class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, Sterling Sharpe, and Eric Allen will be enshrined into Canton this year.

The former edge rusher in Allen recorded 136 sacks in his 12-year career, the 12th-most all time, twice leading the NFL. His career high was the 22 he put up back in 2011, just one sack shy of surpassing lone solo leader Michael Strahan for the most in a season. He was selected to four All-Pro teams during his time with the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears, and Vikings.

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Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen (69) celebrates a sack during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. (Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports)

Gates was one of the greatest tight ends of his era and a stepping stone into making what the position is today. His 116 touchdowns are the most ever by a tight end, while his 955 receptions and 11,841 receiving yards are the fourth-most in the position. Spending his entire 16-year career with the Chargers, he made eight consecutive Pro Bowls and will go to Canton after just missing out last year.

Sharpe played just seven seasons in the NFL, but he sure made the most of it. In his career, entirely with the Green Bay Packers, he was named to five Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro three times. Three times he led the NFL in receptions, and twice he led in touchdowns, including his final season when he racked up 18. He recorded five seasons of over 1,100 yards – he put up 595 catches for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns.

Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe (84) scores a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tampa Stadium. (USA TODAY Sports)

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Eric Allen played 14 seasons, splitting his time with the Eagles, Raiders, and Saints. He twice led the NFL in pick-sixes, recording four in 1993 and three in 2000. He was named to six Pro Bowls after being picked 30th overall in the 1988 NFL Draft.

Notable snubs included Adam Vinatieri, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Reggie Wayne, Steve Smith Sr., and Marshal Yanda.

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The new four-man class will be inducted on Aug. 3.

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February 7, 2025
Josh Allen crushed after losing to Chiefs again in playoffs: ‘To be the champs, you got to beat the champs’

The Kansas City Chiefs once again saw confetti falling in their favor in a crucial game, as they won the AFC Championship for the third straight season to give themselves a chance at Super Bowl history in New Orleans next month.

On the other sideline, the Buffalo Bills were gutted when they saw Samaje Perine run for the first down necessary to seal the 32-29 victory.

After the game, quarterback Josh Allen let his feelings out when asked about his emotions following yet another loss to the Chiefs in the postseason.

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, #17, warms up before the AFC Championship NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

“It’s just not fun,” he said after letting out a sigh. “But to be the champs, you got to beat the champs, and we didn’t do it tonight.”

Allen is now 0-4 against the Chiefs in the postseason, so the regular season victory over Kansas City at the Bills’ Highmark Stadium does not matter in the end for this squad or its quarterback.

However, the ball was in Allen’s hands to change that winless streak late in the fourth quarter. However, with the two-minute warning and fourth-and-5 on the scoreboard, the Chiefs dialed up the perfect pressure, and Allen launched a prayer downfield to tight end Dalton Kincaid.

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It hit his arms but went incomplete. Then, with the Bills down three points, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs knew a couple of first downs equaled another Super Bowl trip.

“They gave a good look,” Allen said when asked what he saw before that fourth-down snap. “Didn’t see anything in my first cadence. They were sliding left, the corner came…yeah.”

There was not much else Allen could say just minutes after falling just short again at the Bills’ first trip to the Super Bowl since 1993. However, Mahomes was classy after the game, giving kudos to Allen during his speech while hoisting the AFC title trophy.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, #17, drops back to pass as Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna, #51, defends during the second half of the AFC Championship NFL football game on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

“I have so much respect for Josh, man,” he said to CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz. “He’s a true competitor, a true warrior, a great football player. They always come down to the wire. Luckily, we were on the winning side this time. I’m excited to get down to New Orleans. Let’s go make history.”

The Bills wanted to be looking at one more game to hopefully give the franchise its first-ever Super Bowl – they infamously lost four straight from 1990-93 – but they will have to go back to the drawing board with the offseason starting to see if they can change that in 2025.

Allen could be getting a massive personal accolade, as he is an MVP finalist and expected to be a frontrunner alongside Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for their work during the 2024 campaign.

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However, Allen will say he does not care about individual achievements right now. His Bills lost, again at the hands of the Chiefs, and they will have months to stew over it before a new season begins.

“You can either get it done, or you can’t. We didn’t get it done,” Allen said.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 27, 2025
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce says he ‘used to dream of being like’ what Josh Allen is as quarterback

Before he became one of the best tight ends in the NFL ever, Travis Kelce was an all-conference high school quarterback who passed for more than 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns in his senior year.

He committed to the Cincinnati Bearcats football program as a tight end and played quarterback in wildcat formations. He emerged as a better pass-catcher than passer and became a third-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.

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Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce talks with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Oct. 16, 2022. (Denny Medley-USA Today Sports)

Kelce admitted on Friday ahead of the AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills that he wanted to be a quarterback much in the style of Josh Allen.

“Josh is who I used to dream of being like in the NFL,” he told reporters. “Big, athletic quarterback. Big arm. Being able to be a dual-threat guy.

“His ability to do everything – you can tell, he really took the bull by the horns and been their leader up front, and channeled that. Guys come in and out of the building and he’s the main guy that makes them go, and I have a lot of respect for that guy.”

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Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrates a touchdown against the Houston Texans during the AFC divisional round game in Kansas City, Jan. 18, 2025. (Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images)

Kelce had been gifted the opportunity to throw the football three times in the regular season and once in the playoffs. He came through in the clutch in the postseason, throwing a touchdown pass in the 2021 divisional-round playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Allen, a 6-foot-5, 237-pound gunslinger, has emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and is vying for the first NFL MVP award of his career.

He’s been the face of the Bills since he took over the starting job. He had 3,731 passing yards and 28 touchdown passes this season. He also ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

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The two teams will meet again with a trip to Super Bowl LIX on the line.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 26, 2025