It was the closest NFL MVP race in history.
Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford won by a hair over New England Patriots’ Drake Maye in a vote where every single ballot mattered.
Of the 50 voters for the AP NFL MVP, 24 gave their nod to Stafford.
23 gave it to Maye.
Two voters believed that reigning MVP Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills deserved to repeat.
And finally, in one of the more shocking votes in recent memory, one voter chose Los Angeles Chargers’ signal-caller Justin Herbert as their MVP.
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In a world where the Herbert voter or either of the Allen voters flipped their first-place vote to Maye, the sophomore QB would have won.
Instead, the 17-year veteran won the night and pushed his case even closer to the Hall of Fame. He will also continue raising his profile for Canton, as he ended his acceptance speech by announcing that he will return to the Rams next season as their starting quarterback.
The debate online for weeks was who should get the award, between the gunslinger and veteran pocket passer Stafford, or the efficient surgeon with legs that can beat even the best defense in Maye.
But following the reveal of the votes, the fires of discussion about Stafford vs. Maye have turned to pointing at the anonymous voter who picked Herbert as MVP.
Herbert’s numbers of 26 touchdowns to 13 interceptions or his 3,727 yards through the air don’t compare to either Maye or Stafford, but there might be some context needed in the voters’ decision.
The Chargers had one of, if not the, flat-out worst offensive line in football, with significant injuries ravaging it early in the season. Joe Alt went down twice during the season, and Herbert was left with a protection unit that seemingly lost every single one-on-one battle against the defense.
Still, in what was an MVP race that came down to millimeters, the Herbert (and Allen) votes will be dissected for years to come.
