Josh Allen, the man with a polite smile and the maple leaf patch on his helmet, earned his place as the most valuable player (MVP) in the NFL. This was no walk in the park, it was a close call and a huge surprise! While most experts had their money on the flashy Lamar Jackson, voters gave Allen the nod. For starters, 50 voters are about to give it to the winner of the All-Pro first time award but in the end what matters more is the MVP award. The last time a player pulled off this same feat, the year 2003, Steve McNair did it. Allen's victory was a surprise to many because he wasn't even on the first team for the All-Pro award. The last time this happened, a whole 21 years ago. The last instance this happened was in 1987.

        The voting process is quite complex. First, the same 50 voters pick the All-Pro team, then they pick the MVP.  Allen received 27 first-place votes for MVP and Jackson received 23.  Allen got 27 first team votes while Jackson got 30.  So how did the MVP award turn out to be completely different than the All-Pro voting?  Many of the voters changed their minds and decided to vote for Allen over Jackson.   One voter made a big mistake and voted for Lamar Jackson as the fourth-place MVP.  This was a big upset, because Lamar Jackson had already won the MVP award twice before.  Josh Allen was on the Bills team and the Bills had just beaten the Ravens to get into the playoffs.  It was a close victory, but the Bills slightly edged out the Ravens with 13 wins compared to 12.

        Despite the fact that Lamar Jackson had some impressive stats, he only won 12 regular season games.  Allen had a great season as well, with 3, 731 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and six interceptions.  While Larry Jackson had 4, 172 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions.  He also had 915 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.  Lets face it, numbers are just numbers.   By the end of the day, its all about the voters.

        So, what does this mean for the future of the NFL?  Many people are wondering if this is a sign of things to come.  Will voters start to value different aspects of a players performance?  Only time will tell.

Unlikely Hero: Josh Allen's Surprising MVP Win

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