This Sunday, two of the NFL’s top MVP candidates, Jared Goff and Josh Allen, will go head-to-head as the Buffalo Bills face the Detroit Lions in a critical matchup. Allen, the frontrunner for the 2024 MVP, leads the Bills, who sit at 10-3 and atop the AFC East. Buffalo boasts the league’s second-highest scoring offense, averaging 30.5 points per game. Allen is currently the favorite for MVP, with DraftKings listing him at -400. He’s had an electric season, passing for 3,033 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just five interceptions through 13 games. Allen has also added 416 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, solidifying his reputation as one of the league’s most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks. Despite a wild 44-42 loss to the Rams last Sunday, in which he threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 82 yards and three scores, Allen’s play has been a key reason the Bills remain atop the AFC East.
what a day for Josh Allen pic.twitter.com/gzO9MzvyoZ
— NFL (@NFL) December 9, 2024
On the other side, Jared Goff has quietly put together a strong MVP case. The Lions, currently 12-1 and atop the NFC North, have the NFL’s highest-scoring offense, averaging 32.1 points per game. Goff, the third favorite for MVP at +1000, ranks second in the league in completion percentage (72.4) and passer rating (109.1). He’s thrown for 3,265 yards and 25 touchdowns, leading an offense that is both efficient and explosive. While Goff doesn’t necessarily have Allen’s dual-threat ability, his precision, efficiency, and decision-making have propelled the Lions to the top of the NFC North.
Both teams enter this matchup with high-scoring offenses, but their defenses will also play a critical role. Detroit has the NFL’s second-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 18.0 points per game, while Buffalo ranks eighth in scoring defense, allowing 20.6 points per game. In what promises to be a fast-paced, high-scoring affair, the game could ultimately be decided by which defense makes the key stops.