Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC's No. 2 seed behind the Kansas City Chiefs by throttling the New York Jets on Sunday, 40-14, to improve to 13-3 on the season.
That technically renders the Bills' Week 18 finale at New England meaningless from a playoff standpoint, allowing them to rest key starters heading into the playoffs.
But has Allen sewn up the NFL's MVP award? Baltimore's Lamar Jackson -- last year’s winner -- has made a compelling case, especially after a dominant showing during a Christmas Day win over the Texans.
"Not sure what next week brings, but it gives us an option to get certain guys rest," Allen said after the win. "And we'll just kind of go with the flow with whatever (general manager Brandon) Beane or (head coach Sean) McDermott are telling our guys to do. But (we've) still got to prepare like we're trying to go 1-0, and that's our game plan."
McDermott said on Sunday that they will discuss how to handle things next week against the Patriots. Allen wasn't tipping his hand on how things might go or whether he'd push to improve his candidacy.
"I have no idea," Allen said. "Again, I'm gonna do whatever's asked of me. I'll leave it at that. I don't know."
Allen threw for two scores and ran for another in a turnover-free performance against the Jets, although it took a bit for the Bills to get going. That brought his 16-game totals to 3,731 pass yards, 28 TDs and six INTs, along with 531 rush yards and 11 more scores.
Jackson boasts mostly gaudier numbers -- and even better than in his 2023 MVP campaign -- with 3,955 pass yards, 39 TDs and four interceptions, plus 852 rush yards and four more TDs. But the 11-5 Ravens also have had less team success, at two victories behind the Bills.
If it was up to McDermott, his QB already has the award wrapped up.
"Josh Allen is the MVP," McDermott said. "I've been around this league long enough to know, to see MVPs every year for many years, and what he has done on this team and this organization, in this community -- and no offense to anybody else -- but I have a hard time believing that someone's done more."
Rookie wideout Keon Coleman agreed, telling that Allen "should have been the MVP five years ago."
Asked postgame by CBS' Tracy Wolfson if he thought he'd done enough to secure his first MVP award, Allen unsurprisingly deflected, throwing praise to the Bills' defense and Coleman and Amari Cooper.
"I don't really care about that," Allen said with a smile. "The defense played fantastic. I'm watching that Coop highlight. Him and Keon had fantastic plays today."
