NEW ORLEANS — For the previous 11 seasons, being named the AP first-team All-Professional quarterback was a prelude to profitable the NFL’s MVP award.
There was some logic to that with quarterbacks offering probably the most worth to a staff and the identical panel choosing the All-Professional staff and the entire awards.
There was a uncommon flip this 12 months with Buffalo’s Josh Allen narrowly edging Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson within the MVP voting introduced Thursday evening after ending second in All-Professional voting revealed final month.
This marked simply the third time because the AP began handing out the Most Worthwhile Participant award in 1961 {that a} participant received a minimum of a share of the MVP after not being voted first-team All-Professional. (The AP had a Most Excellent Participant award from 1957-60 and people winners additionally have been first-team All-Execs).
So how did it occur this season:
The All-Professional votes
Let’s begin with the All-Professional votes the place Jackson had the sting.
He acquired 30 of the 50 first-team All-Professional votes from a nationwide panel of media members and 19 second-place votes. Allen received 18 first-place and 24 second-place votes, whereas Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow received the final two first-place votes, together with 9 second-place votes.
What switched for MVP?
A number of voters considered the MVP vote otherwise.
Whereas Jackson and Allen completed 1-2 on 48 of the 50 ballots (Burrow and Saquon Barkley every received one second-place vote), Allen had the sting when it got here to the highest spot, gaining 9 further first-place votes from the All-Professional staff with Jackson dropping seven.
Allen additionally completed third on one poll, and Jackson was fourth on one other, however that had no influence on the winner.
Allen completed with 383 factors based mostly on scoring that provides out 10 factors for a first-place vote, adopted by 5, three, two and one for the final 4 areas. Jackson had 362 factors.
How did Offensive Participant of the 12 months play a task?
The AP additionally has a number of different awards, together with Offensive Participant of the 12 months. Whereas that award has been given to non-quarterbacks the final 5 seasons, Jackson garnered important assist there.
He completed second to Barkley in that voting and received 12 first-place votes to the one for Allen, who got here in sixth.
9 of the voters who picked Jackson as the highest offensive participant selected Allen as MVP, accounting for nearly the entire switched votes from the All-Professional staff.
Jackson grew to become the primary participant to complete second in each awards since Drew Brees in 2018.
Has this occurred earlier than?
There have been two different seasons when a participant received MVP after not being a first-team All-Professional. In 2003, Peyton Manning was the first-team All-Professional however shared the MVP with Steve McNair, who completed second in All-Professional voting.
Voters solely chosen first-place within the voting again then and each quarterbacks received 16 MVP votes after Manning had a 28½-16½ edge in All-Professional voting.
It additionally occurred within the 1987 season with John Elway profitable MVP after ending second to Joe Montana in All-Professional voting.
There have been 84 MVP votes that season and San Francisco had two candidates drawing assist after Jerry Rice set an NFL report with 22 TD catches regardless of one sport getting canceled due to a participant strike and Rice sitting out three video games with substitute gamers.
Elway additionally sat out all three substitute participant video games, whereas Montana crossed the picket line and performed in two of them.
Elway received 36 votes for MVP, adopted by Rice with 30 and Montana with 18.