The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and it’s simple 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 many years.
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 previously 25 years.
It’s getting actually laborious to think about that run of positional dominance ending anytime quickly. Particularly since this appeared like it might have — or might have — been the yr a non-quarterback performed their approach into the dialogue and probably gained it.
That non-quarterback was Philadelphia Eagles working again Saquon Barkley.
Barkley’s 2024 season was nothing wanting dominant. He rushed for over 2,000 yards, in all probability 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 extremely 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 fee, however he made dwelling run performs that no different working again within the league was making.
He dominated.
He dominated a lot that he gained the NFL’s Offensive Participant of the 12 months 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 total voting behind Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Within the historical past of the NFL MVP award it has been gained by a quarterback 48 occasions, a working again 18 occasions, a defensive participant simply twice and a kicker as soon as.
It has by no means been gained by a large receiver or tight finish.
It is not a lot that Barkley ought to have gained, 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 essential they’re to their crew’s success.
If not Barkley, then who? And if not this season, then when?
Is there something a working 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 will single-handedly change a sport or a crew’s season.
