I don't think Allen will get it, but MVP has a serious recency bias. Big performances at the end of the year in prime time matchups are the most important thing. That put Lamar over the edge last year. Bills vs Chiefs and Bills vs Lions are pretty big at the end of the year, but no prime time. The sports media is like a hive mind that latches on to whatever they saw last.
Notice I called them sports media and not sports "journalists".