Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) -rtb for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Ravens MVP Candidate May Succumb to Repeat Rival

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 11:00 AM ET

It took a few months, but the Baltimore Ravens finally achieved some recognition in some of the NFL's MVP polls and betting odds entering the regular season's back half.

Inconsistent team-wide play to start the fall was quickly followed by a hamstring injury suffered by Lamar Jackson, who lost a month while rehabbing. His squad floundered in his absence in falling to an eventual 1-5 record, but they've capitalized on the easier portion of their schedule since he returned, as he's started three of the Ravens' four consecutive wins in entering Week 12.

As long as his team was re-remembering how to win games, it would only be a matter of time until Jackson found his way back into the running for the regular season's top individual award. He'd won it two times already, yet somehow lost to routine rival Josh Allen last season despite rattling off a career statistical season as a thrower that resulted in his getting recognized with a First Team All-Pro nod.

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Ravens in the Rearview Mirror

Jackson was favored to get some comeuppance for how tight of a loss he'd suffered, both in the award race and in the playoffs where Allen's Buffalo Bills backed him up with a crushing win in the divisional round. But right as he was starting to get some momentum going for his 2025 case, Allen capped off a huge Week 11 performance to re-take control of his own season.

While Jackson did just enough to scrape by the two-win Cleveland Browns, Allen captained a gunslinging 44-32 win over the contending Tampa Bay Buccaneers to address the rockiest part of his own season. He accounted for six touchdowns on the afternoon in throwing and rushing for three apiece, and despite the bad turnovers, still legged out the potentially-season-saving win.

"This was a game in which Allen needed to be Superman, and he was," ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote. "He completed passes to nine different people. His leading receiver was Tyrell Shavers, so congrats if you predicted that. Gabe Davis, who wasn't even on the team last week, caught three passes for 40 yards. This was a classic Allen-has-to-win-it-for-us game, a shootout against Baker Mayfield and the Bucs. The Bills needed a win after last week's upset loss to Miami, and Allen got it for them.

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The Race Ahead

He's still facing an uphill battle in attempting to clinch a second-straight MVP statuette, since he's still not atop the list of favorites with a little under two months remaining in the season. One of the oldest quarterbacks in the game, Matthew Stafford , is right in the thick of the race amidst yet another impressive season with the Los Angeles Rams, as is Drake Maye in leading the New England Patriots from the NFL's doldrums.

Still, count that big game as another small win Allen's notched over Jackson, even if the two games looked like they had nothing to do with each other. And after a season-opening comeback at the hands of the Bills, Ravens fans are all-too aware of the increasingly-imbalanced recent scorecard.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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