Jackson's Influence in Offensive Player of the Year Voting, Dramatic Victory for Josh Allen

Jackson's Influence in Offensive Player of the Year Voting, Dramatic Victory for Josh Allen

New Orleans, February 7 — For the past 11 seasons, being selected as an AP First-Team All-Pro quarterback has been a precursor to winning the NFL MVP award. Since quarterbacks are typically the most valuable players and the same panel votes for both All-Pro teams and other awards, this was the natural expectation.

However, this time, a rare event occurred where Buffalo's Josh Allen, with 30 first-place votes and 19 second-place votes out of 50 ballots, narrowly defeated Baltimore's Lamar Jackson. This was an unusual result, as Jackson led in the First-Team All-Pro voting.

This marks only the third time since the AP MVP award was introduced in 1961 that a player who was not a First-Team All-Pro won the MVP award. (From 1957 to 1960, AP awarded the "Most Outstanding Player" award, and its winners were also First-Team All-Pro.)

Looking at the All-Pro voting statistics, Jackson received 30 of the 50 First-Team All-Pro votes and 19 second-place votes, while Allen earned 18 first-place votes and 24 second-place votes. Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow received the remaining two first-place votes, along with 9 second-place votes.

What Changed in the MVP Vote?

Many voters approached the MVP vote differently. While Jackson and Allen finished first and second in all 50 ballots (with Burrow and Saquon Barkley each receiving one second-place vote), Allen had more first-place votes, gaining 9 additional votes in that category. On the other hand, Jackson lost 7 first-place votes.

Allen won the MVP with 383 points, while Jackson earned 362 points.

What Role Did the Offensive Player of the Year Award Play?

AP also gives out other awards, one of which is Offensive Player of the Year. This award has been given to non-quarterbacks in the past five seasons, but Jackson received significant support here. He finished second behind Barkley and received 12 first-place votes, while Allen finished sixth.

Interestingly, the 9 voters who selected Jackson as Offensive Player of the Year also voted for Allen as MVP. As a result, much of the change reflected in the All-Pro voting is reflected here.

Jackson became the first player to finish second in both MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in a single season, a feat previously accomplished by Drew Brees in 2018.

Had This Happened Before?

There were two other seasons, in 1987 and 2003, when a player won the MVP award without being a First-Team All-Pro. In 2003, Peyton Manning was a First-Team All-Pro but shared the MVP with Steve McNair. In 1987, John Elway won the MVP despite being second in the First-Team All-Pro voting.