Lamar Jackson had a simple message for Josh Allen after the Bills ended the Rams’ season following the AFC divisional game. “I told him, ‘Man, go get something Go win something. MVP or Super Bowl. Do something.’ I want him to be successful.” While Allen’s Lombardi Trophy dream was halted by the Chiefs, he did manage to win the regular season MVP award, but like a few others even the Bills QB was surprised by the outcome.

Jackson’s 2024 season was a rollercoaster of brilliance and heartbreak. Fresh off his second MVP, he shattered records, throwing 41 touchdowns and rushing for 915 yards. The Ravens soared in the AFC with a loaded roster. Yet, playoff ghosts returned. A nail-biting loss to the Bills left Jackson stranded again, his postseason resume still craving that elusive Super Bowl shine. Yet, his regular season performances made him a strong candidate for a third MVP title, but some of the voters for the MVP didn’t see it that way.

Jackson outgunned Allen in passing yards (4,172 to 3,731), and touchdowns (41 to 28). He even had nearly twice the rushing yards (915 to 531) although Allen had more rushing TDs. However, Allen edged him for MVP by 21 points—the closest race since Matt Ryan beat out Tom Brady in 2016. Allen’s 27 first-place votes narrowly topped Jackson’s 23. This outcome divided opinion with the NFL Hall of Famers having their say and now Jackson has shared a message

On  Saturday, Jackson shared a graphic on his Instagram story, from the pray.com app’s IG post. “G.O.A.T. God Over All Things,” the original post read and Jackson added his own caption, “🙏🏽Nobody Greater.” 

For Jackson, the MVP loss to Allen might have been hard to take. This was just the third instance where the first-team All-Pro quarterback didn’t win the MVP as Allen became the first player in 21 seasons to win MVP without being selected first-team All-Pro. The only other players to win the award despite not being a first-team All-Pro were Broncos quarterback John Elway in 1987 when Joe Montana was first-team All-Pro and Titans quarterback Steve McNair in 2003 who won the co-MVP with Peyton Manning. Based on this history, Allen’s win does come as a surprise.

A further breakdown of how the voting process went, gives us more clarity as to how this outcome was reached.

Although Jackson got 30 first-place votes in the All-Pro voting, he only received 23 in the MVP voting. This means a loss of at least seven votes in the MVP race. As for Allen, he got 18 All-Pro votes, but he got 27 first-place votes for MVP, so he gained nine votes. But what was surprising was that Jackson received a fourth-place vote as well.

MVP votes (first-second-third-fourth-fifth)

• Allen: 27-22-1-0-0: 383 points
• Jackson: 23-26-0-1-0: 362 points

Voter Jim Miller, who played in the NFL as a QB for six seasons ranked Lamar Jackson fourth, behind Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, and Joe Burrow. “At the end of the day, this is a team sport, and he has won more than anybody. He’s 15-2 on the year, and I had to refrain myself… So I sleep very good with how I voted. A lot of people didn’t like it because Lamar is quite a player,” Miller shrugged, sparking outrage.

Hall of Famer and Ravens legend Jonathan Ogden implied it was a sympathy vote for Allen, noting, “I get it. Cause [Josh] is a great quarterback, he hadn’t won one, Lamar had two. And they’re like, ‘Let’s just give him one.’ 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 was better than Allen on almost every QB metric except the QB rating, where Allen outperformed his rival with a league-best 77.3 compared to 77.2. The Bills QB was also surprised with his MVP win.

“I was pretty surprised. Given what we know about how typically the voting goes. Lamar was very deserving of this award as well,” Allen admitted.

The stats and history do against Allen, but his contribution to the Bills’s season cannot be ignored. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors four different times and became the first player in NFL history to record at least 25 touchdowns, 10 rushing touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown in a season.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky argued that Allen’s performances were more useful for his team especially given how depleted the Bills’ roster was. The Bills lost their top two scorers in terms of receiving touchdowns and yards in Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis during the offseason. With several fresh faces in the lineup, Allen was still able to thrive and lead his team to the AFC Championship game.

“The Bills didn’t have an elite defense. The Bills had a very good run game, not a great run game. They didn’t have elite perimeter players in any regard. The way that Josh played this season, and the different style that he played, brought tremendous value to their football team,” Orlovsky said after he confirmed he voted for Allen.

Meanwhile, while Buffalo was licking its wounds from yet another playoff loss to the Chiefs, Jackson’s Ravens boasted nine Pro Bowlers. For whatever it’s worth. The plot thickened. Despite the snub, Jackson’s legacy burns brighter.

Jackson’s redemption arc and Baltimore’s unfinished business

Jackson made First-Team All-Pro; Allen didn’t—a rarity since 1987. Historically, All-Pro QBs win MVP. Not this time. Analysts like Jeff Saturday mocked the logic: “Is this MVP of the league or of the Bills?” But the Bills are already looking forward.

They are eyeing Rams star Cooper Kupp to turbocharge their offense. Jackson’s growth—reading defenses, and avoiding injuries—fuels optimism. Plus, Derrick Henry’s pledge to “retire a Raven” adds firepower.

Baltimore’s 2024 offense made history: 4,000+ passing and 3,000+ rushing yards. Going by Jackson’s teammate Patrick Ricard’s comments, it is just the beginning of their journey to glory.

“It’s inevitable. [Lamar Jackson]’s going to win a Super Bowl, and I want to be a part of it. It just sucks that it hasn’t happened yet. I personally feel bad for him because he deserves it just because of how great of a player he is,” he said.

Jackson’s story isn’t finished. With a revamped squad and a chip on his shoulder, 2025 looms large. He missed out on the MVP this season, but for Lamar, the real prize glimmers ahead—a Lombardi Trophy. As Ricard said, “I know everyone considers championships as the standard, and he’ll get it one day.” And Baltimore believes.