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Jared Goff not focused on MVP showdown with Josh Allen, wants 'that trophy at the end'
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- Jared Goff not focused on MVP showdown with Josh Allen, wants 'that trophy at the end'
For Scottie Montgomery, the criteria for NFL MVP is simple.
"Winner," the Detroit Lions assistant head coach said Wednesday. "You got to be a winner, and winning games is what we're focused on and you get acknowledged and you get noticed when you win."
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) celebrates 34-31 win over Green Bay Packers as he exits the field at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.
The Lions and Buffalo Bills (10-3) meet Sunday in a showdown between two of the NFL's winningest teams, which makes their quarterbacks – Jared Goff and Josh Allen – two of the front-runners for the league's most coveted award.
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Allen is the heavy Las Vegas favorite to win his first MVP at minus-450, according to BetMGM , and he dominated a straw poll of 12 MVP voters taken this week by the Free Press.
Goff, playing on a Lions team many consider the best in the NFL, has the third-best odds and was one of six players who drew non-first place votes in the Free Press poll.
Allen received 10 first-place votes, with Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson receiving the other two. Barkley, who is on pace to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record, received 10 second-place votes and one third-place vote.
Goff received one second-place vote, three third-place votes and was on a split ballot for third place with two other voters. Allen (one), Jackson (two, and two split votes), Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (two) and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (one, and one split vote) also received third-place votes.
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About a quarter of the 50 voters who will select this year's Associated Press MVP responded to the poll.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 24: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills throws a pass against the Detroit Lions during the second half at Ford Field on November 24, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
"Goff is definitely MVP," Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III said Wednesday.
Asked to explain his reasoning, Davis said, "I mean, what else is there to think about as far as a quarterback on a winning team? It's a quarterback on a winning team and no matter how you slice it up, the proof is in the pudding. The quarterback is the head of the snake and if you're successful it's cause of him in some capacity, so he's the one executing the offense, he's the one leading them boys up and down the field. Making throws. Consistent. That would be my vote, maybe I'm biased but (expletive) that's how I feel."
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Goff has played the best football of his career this season, leading the Lions to an NFC-best 12-1 record and 11 straight victories. He's completed a career-high 72.4% of his passes, and the Lions lead the league in points scored and rank second in total yards.
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But while Goff has played MVP-caliber football most of the year, he hasn't put up the same sort of eye-popping numbers as some other MVP candidates – he's on pace to throw for just 4,270 yards – and he's surrounded in most cases by better talent.
Barkley leads the league in rushing. Allen just became the first player ever to rush for three touchdowns and throw for three scores in a game. Allen and Jackson are considered more dynamic dual-threat players. And the Chiefs have the same record as the Lions with a lesser roster while Goff is playing with five other potential first- or second-team All-Pro players on offense in Penei Sewell , Frank Ragnow , Kevin Zeitler , Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown .
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"I've seen it all different type of ways, so I don't really know if there's a definition because it has looked different for different people in different times," Montgomery said. "Statistically it's been the same for some people and some people statistics have not been the same and they've gotten it. So right now as a team, we're just concentrating on the Bills and trying to figure out a way to beat these guys."
Goff never received an MVP vote in his first eight NFL seasons – before 2022, voters selected only an MVP winner; now they pick a top five for the award – and insisted Wednesday it's not a big deal for him to even be in the mix for the award.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) shakes hand with safety Brandon Joseph (12) before the game between Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.
"Sure, I've been playing well," he said. "But a lot of guys have been playing well, though. If you're a quarterback on a good team, you're probably going to be in that conversation and it's a credit to all the guys on the squad. We've had a really good year up to this point, we've got to finish it off. Sure, it's cool to be recognized in some ways but it doesn't really mean anything. I want to be holding that trophy at the end of the year, and I know that's what matters."
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Allen finished fifth in MVP voting last year, third in 2022 and was runner-up to Aaron Rodgers in 2020, but like Goff is having one of the best seasons of his career.
The Bills revamped their offense this offseason, trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and letting Gabe Davis walk in free agency, yet Allen is on pace to throw for more touchdowns with fewer interceptions than he had last season and the Bills have runaway with the AFC East.
He has 3,033 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, with another nine rushing touchdowns through 13 games. Goff has thrown for 3,265 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
"Josh Allen is a freak," Lions linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said. "He's right up there with our guy. Those are the elite of the elite in the league. We understand what we're dealing with. This is a dual-threat guy. He can beat you from the pocket and outside the pocket. I mean, he brings it all to the table. I think he's an ultra competitor. I mean, he lays it on the line for his team. Critical moments, he wants the ball. Those are the kind of guys you want to be around in this profession, and I know we're going against him but I want to give him his credit. This guy is the real deal and we're going to prepare for him as such."
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The Lions need a win Sunday to stay ahead of the Eagles and Vikings in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, while the Bills are trying to catch the Chiefs for homefield advantage in the AFC playoffs.
How both quarterbacks fare Sunday could influence the MVP race, though Lions coach Dan Campbell said that won't be on anyone's mind during the game.
"I guarantee you, that's not Goff's focus," he said. "Winning the MVP, that's icing on the cake, but I know for us, man, if you just focus on the win and what it's going to take to win this game and whatever comes out of that, the individual accolades will follow. You'll turn around and look back and you'll realize, 'All right, this is what's transpired because we've won.' So I'm not worried about it, he's not worried about it, we've just got to find a way to win."
Dave Birkett is the author of the new book " Detroit Lions : An Illustrated Timeline." Order your copy here. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
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Next up: Bills
Matchup: Lions (12-1) vs. Buffalo (10-3).
Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. Dec. 15; Ford Field, Detroit.
TV/radio: CBS; WXYT-FM (97.1).
Spread: Lions by 2½.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Josh Allen tops Jared Goff as MVP favorite in Free Press voter poll
