Eighteen running backs, one defensive tackle, one outside linebacker, and one kicker have won the Associated Press National Football League Most Valuable Player Award, the NFL’s de facto MVP award since the NFL doesn’t officially recognize one itself. This fact, however, means 47 quarterbacks have won the award since the Associated Press began their tradition in 1957; two years were awarded to co-MVP’s, explaining the two extra quarterback award winners in that total. On average, a quarterback will win the MVP award 69.1% of the time, giving credence to those who believe the MVP is an award that heavily favors the quarterback.

A great quarterback does give you the best chance to win games and, ultimately, a Super Bowl. It’s also true that quarterback, in general, will have the highest determining factor on the game’s outcome compared to every other position on the field; therefore, quarterbacks are favored for the MVP award, rightfully so, in theory. While Lamar Jackson rightfully earned his second MVP award at the NFL Honors last night, it’s worth considering that Tyreek Hill and Christian McCaffrey were the frontrunners for MVP in the eyes of many fans for most of the season. After Week 11, Hill had 1,222 receiving yards and was on pace to finish with over 2,000 receiving yards as the primary target of what was then the number-one offensive unit in scoring average, while McCaffrey was on pace to score 24 total touchdowns while leading the NFL in rushing yards. No quarterback at that point had stood out as playing at an MVP caliber level; 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was an early frontrunner due to his passing efficiency numbers, but Jackson swooped in and firmly snatched the MVP narrative as the Ravens went on a six-game winning streak starting in Week 11 to finish the season as the one-seed in the AFC with a 13-4 record, best in the NFL.

That’s not to say Hill and McCaffrey don’t deserve high consideration for MVP, and they should, but McCaffrey had to settle for Offensive Player of the Year; Hill received no award for his efforts. Even in a year of offenses predicated on being balanced with the run and pass, the quarterback position continues to prove why it’s the most important to a team’s success, and that’s what the MVP award is all about, right? It doesn’t help that the Ravens beat the 49ers, 33-19, and the Dolphins, 56-19, in back-to-back weeks to extend their winning streak to six and secure the one-seed in the AFC in Week 17.

Jackson threw for 1,501 yards in that six-game span, to go along with 340 rushing yards for 1,841 yards of total offense, or roughly 307 yards per game during that winning streak. He averaged 250 passing yards and 57 rushing yards, threw 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions, and completed 62.4% of his passes during that stretch. He finished fourth in the NFL for passer rating this season with 102.7, but his passer rating during that six-game win streak was 109.8; his excellent play directly coincided with the entire team gelling together and going on a dominant run to close the season and secure their seeding. If that doesn’t sound like an MVP to you, then who does? I don’t mean to disparage Hill or McCaffrey, but both of them slowed down as the season winded down, while Jackson heated up and propelled his team to the one-seed, defeating both of their teams in the process. Neither Hill nor McCaffrey finished with record-breaking seasonal statistics, and it’s become the de facto standard that that’s what it takes for a position outside of quarterback to win the MVP award. It seems unfair, but such is life in the NFL.

So when will a position other than quarterback win the MVP award? History would dictate that it should happen soon, but a quarterback has won the last eleven MVP awards, the longest streak of quarterbacks winning the MVP. Adrian Peterson was the last non-quarterback to win MVP for his 2012 campaign, which interrupted five seasons of quarterbacks winning the MVP award. However, that five-season stretch Adrian Peterson interrupted was the third time a quarterback had won the MVP award for five seasons straight in NFL history; this eleven-season stretch is unprecedented. These four streaks of quarterbacks winning the MVP award alone account for 38.2% of the entire history of the AP NFL MVP award.

My best guess is that this was the best season for a different position to win MVP for a little bit anyway; offenses’ scoring averages dropped leaguewide for the first time in years, opening the door for a skill position player to have a massive impact season and secure enough votes to overcome whichever quarterback proved to have the best stats and narrative going for him. I could be wrong, and it would make the NFL more interesting if I were, but it’s more than likely we’ll see this streak of quarterbacks winning MVPs continue for a while longer. How much longer is anyone’s guess, but we’ll cross that bridge when a player starts having a season meeting the known parameters to begin the conversation again.