Many football fans thought that Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, was set to win his second consecutive MVP title in 2024, particularly after being chosen for the All-Pro first team.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, Josh Allen from the Buffalo Bills secured his first MVP award over Jackson.

This marked a rare occasion, as Allen became only the third player in NFL history to capture the MVP award without being named to the All-Pro first team. The other two players who achieved this were John Elway of the Denver Broncos, who won in 1987 defeating All-Pro Joe Montana, and Steve McNair of the Tennessee Titans, who shared the award with Peyton Manning from the Indianapolis Colts in 2003.

What led to Allen’s surprising win? Some voters opted to separate their choices, granting Jackson the All-Pro title while casting their MVP votes for Allen.

Among those taking this approach was Dan Orlovsky from ESPN. The former NFL quarterback emphasized that he based his vote on “the value that the player brought to their football team.”

“The Bills were the second seed. Josh had an outstanding season with 40 touchdowns, just 8 turnovers, and 14 sacks,” Orlovsky shared on ESPN’s Get Up on Friday. “The Bills didn’t possess an elite defense. Their run game was solid but not extraordinary. They also lacked top-tier players in key positions. The way Josh performed this season and the diverse style he showcased added immense value to the team.”

“Lamar had a remarkable season,” Orlovsky continued. “He was likely the top player in the league this year, alongside players like Ja’Marr Chase or Saquon Barkley. However, when it comes to value and the impact on his team, the players he had around him and the opponents he faced – that’s where I believed Josh Allen stood out.”

Orlovsky wasn’t the only one supporting this view. Jackson received 30 first-place votes in the All-Pro voting but saw that figure decrease to 23 in the MVP tally. Conversely, Allen’s first-place votes rose significantly from 18 to 27, ultimately leading him to win the award.

Still, Orlovsky faced criticism from fellow ESPN analysts and ex-NFL players Domonique Foxworth and Jeff Saturday, with Foxworth dismissing the “semantic nonsense” surrounding the value debate.

“I believe both players had seasons worthy of MVP consideration, but it feels like there’s an attempt to find a clever loophole in the discussion – awarding one player while downplaying the other – because you may not want to say the obvious,” Foxworth remarked. “Lamar Jackson indeed had the best season this year.”