The five finalists for this year's NFL MVP award have been announced, and one inclusion sparked outrage among fans on social media.
Fighting for the coveted individual award in 2024 are quarterbacks Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) and Jared Goff (Detroit Lions), as well as Philadelphia Eagles running back, Saquon Barkley.
Allen, who will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Championship game, is the current favorite to be crowned MVP after beating Jackson in Sunday's Ravens-Bills divisional playoff.
However, after the NFL announced its five finalists on Thursday, fans were left in disbelief that Goff was on the list.
The Lions quarterback enjoyed a sensational regular season; ranking second in passing yards (4,629), fourth in touchdown passes (37) and second in completions among starting quarterbacks (72.4 percent) leaguewide.
Although in last weekend's divisional matchup against the Commanders, Goff was unable to inspire the Super Bowl favorites to victory, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels sent Washington to the NFC Championship game.
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are among the five finalists for this year's NFL MVP award
Despite having a solid 313 yards for a touchdown pass that night, many believe he shouldn't be anywhere close to this season's MVP voting.
One user wrote on X: 'Probably between Jackson and Allen. Why is Goff there?
Another asked: 'Jared Goff?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!'
“ZERO reason for Jared Goff to be here,” a third insisted.
'Replace Goff with Jayden Daniels,' a fourth recommendation after Saturday's playoff game in Detroit.
A fifth said: “Goff being here is kind of a joke.”
While one simply laughed: 'Jared Goff LMFAOOOO.'
The NFL MVP award is given to the player deemed most valuable during the regular season, and voting for the award takes place before the playoffs begin.
As a result, Goff would have made the list before Detroit's surprising loss to Washington on Saturday.
Jared Goff's inclusion on the MVP list has sparked outrage among fans on social media
Goff failed to inspire the Lions past the Commanders in last weekend's divisional playoffs.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow (left) and Eagles RB Saquon Barkley (right) make up the MVP finalists
Allen is expected to take home the award after helping the Bills win their fifth straight AFC East title. He threw for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and had six picks for a passer rating of 101.4. He also ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Barkley, the only non-quarterback finalist, rushed for 2,005 yards, the eighth-best mark in NFL history. He missed Philadelphia's final regular-season game when he needed 101 yards to break Eric Dickerson's single-season record. The 27-year-old helped the Eagles win the NFC East and advance to the conference championship game.
Jackson, the reigning winner, is seeking his third MVP award after leading the Ravens to an AFC North title. He had career highs with 4,172 passing yards, 41 touchdowns to just four interceptions and a passer rating of 119.6, which led the NFL.
The Baltimore star was a first-team All-Pro for the third time and also rushed for 915 yards and four touchdowns before losing to Allen and Buffalo last weekend.
Meanwhile, Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and a career-high 43 touchdowns, even though the Cincinnati Bengals finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.