Thursday night was simply a memorable night if your last name was Allen. In addition to the announcements of cornerback Eric Allen and defensive end Jared Allen to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025, it was announced that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen of Firebaugh, California was named the National Football’s most valuable player for the 2024 season.
Allen had the best ESPN quarterback rating in 2024 at 77.3. He completed 307 passes in 483 attempts for 3731 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions. Allen’s six interceptions were the fewest he has had in a single season in his NFL career.
It was on the ground where Allen had an impact too. He had 12 rushing touchdowns, which was second among quarterbacks. Only Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles had more with 14. On Sunday, it will be Hurts and not Allen playing in the game, as the Eagles have qualified for the Super Bowl.
Allen became the third Bills player ever to win the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award. He followed running backs O.J. Simpson of San Francisco, California (1973) and Thurman Thomas of Houston, Texas (1991).
Other people honoured with NFL awards on Thursday were Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (offensive player of the year), Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II (defensive player of the year), Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (offensive rookie of the year), Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (defensive rookie of the year), Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (comeback player of the year), and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell (coach of the year). Remarkably, Burrow was also named comeback player of the year in 2021.
