The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and it’s straightforward to note the significance of the place within the largest moments. Elite quarterbacks have dramatically reduce down on the concept of parity (especially in the AFC), whereas the place has dominated the MVP award over the previous two-plus a long time.
The latter pattern continued this week when Buffalo Payments quarterback Josh Allen turned the twelfth consecutive quarterback to win the award — and the twenty second prior to now 25 years.
It’s getting actually exhausting to think about that run of positional dominance ending anytime quickly. Particularly since this appeared like it could have — or might have — been the yr a non-quarterback performed their manner into the dialogue and doubtlessly received it.
That non-quarterback was Philadelphia Eagles operating again Saquon Barkley.
Barkley’s 2024 season was nothing in need of dominant. He rushed for over 2,000 yards, most likely might have damaged the league’s single-season speeding file had he not sat out the crew’s Week 18 sport and helped flip a very good Eagles crew into the most effective groups in soccer.
Each week, he was a one-man spotlight reel who not solely produced at an elite price, however he made house run performs that no different operating again within the league was making.
He dominated.
He dominated a lot that he received the NFL’s Offensive Participant of the Yr award by getting 35 out of the 50 first-place votes.
Regardless of all of that, he didn’t get a single first-place vote for MVP, just one second-place vote, and completed a really distant third within the general voting behind Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Within the historical past of the NFL MVP award it has been received by a quarterback 48 instances, a operating again 18 instances, a defensive participant simply twice and a kicker as soon as.
It has by no means been received by a large receiver or tight finish.
It isn’t a lot that Barkley ought to have received, or that Allen and Jackson weren’t deserving and worthy vote-getters. It is simply the fact that quarterbacks appear to have the market cornered on the award it doesn’t matter what anyone else within the league does or how necessary they’re to their crew’s success.
If not Barkley, then who? And if not this season, then when?
Is there something a operating again might do that’s higher than that in a future season to win it? Is there something a large receiver might do ever? Defensive gamers simply by no means get any severe recognition for it even when they’ll single-handedly change a sport or a crew’s season.
