NEW ORLEANS — Traditionally, being selected as the AP first-team All-Pro quarterback has been a strong indicator of winning the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, a trend that has persisted for the last 11 years. This correlation arises from the significant contributions quarterbacks make to their teams, coupled with the fact that the same group of voters selects both the All-Pro team and the MVP awards.
However, this year showcased a notable shift, as Buffalo’s Josh Allen narrowly outperformed Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson in the MVP voting results released on Thursday night, despite Jackson finishing ahead of Allen in the All-Pro voting revealed the previous month. This incident marks only the third occasion since the inception of the MVP award by the AP in 1961 that a player has claimed at least a share of the MVP title without being named a first-team All-Pro.
To understand the dynamics this season, let’s examine the All-Pro votes. Jackson received a total of 30 first-team All-Pro votes from a national panel of sports journalists, alongside 19 second-place votes. Meanwhile, Allen received 18 first-place votes and 24 second-place votes, with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow claiming the remaining two first-place votes and nine second-place votes.
The difference in viewpoint surrounding the MVP vote is particularly noteworthy. In the voting, Allen and Jackson appeared as the top two on 48 of the 50 ballots. However, when it came to the crucial first-place votes, Allen gained an advantage, securing nine more votes than Jackson did, who lost seven. Additionally, it should be noted that Allen garnered a third-place finish on one ballot and Jackson was placed fourth on another, although these factors did not change the outcome of the voting.
Josh Allen concluded the voting with a total of 383 points, following a scoring system that allotted 10 points for a first-place vote and scaled down to one for the last place. Jackson, on the other hand, accumulated 362 points.
The role of the Offensive Player of the Year award is also significant in this narrative. Although this award has predominantly been awarded to non-quarterbacks in recent seasons, Jackson received considerable support in this category. He finished second to Saquon Barkley in the voting, obtaining 12 first-place votes compared to Allen’s single first-place vote, where Allen finished in sixth position. Notably, nine voters who selected Jackson as their top offensive player also voted for Allen as MVP, highlighting a substantial transfer of votes within the panel.
This scenario sets Jackson apart as the first athlete to place second in both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year since Drew Brees in 2018.
Historical precedents for such an occurrence exist. Two previous seasons saw players winning the MVP title despite not being first-team All-Pros. In 2003, Peyton Manning, who was a first-team All-Pro, shared the MVP honors with Steve McNair, who was ranked second in All-Pro voting. Back then, voters only cast first-place votes, resulting in both quarterbacks obtaining 16 MVP votes, despite Manning leading the All-Pro voting 28½ to 16½.
A similar situation unfolded in 1987 when John Elway was named MVP after finishing second to Joe Montana in the All-Pro voting. During that season, 84 MVP votes were cast, with San Francisco fielding two candidates following Jerry Rice’s record-setting achievement of 22 touchdown catches, amidst complications arising from a player strike. While Elway sat out all replacement games, Montana participated in two after breaking the strike. Elway managed to gain 36 MVP votes, followed by Rice with 30, and Montana received 18 votes.
