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The NFL MVP is, of course, awarded to the most valuable player in that season’s competition, and we often see the NFL's biggest names take home the title. In recent years, fans have seen the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Tom Brady win MVP, but there have been plenty of flash-in-the-pan players to also win MVP.
These players, of course, are excellent footballers, but are often forgotten about when talking about the elite players of the NFL.
Here are three players you forgot were NFL MVPs.
#3 - Mark Moseley
Mark Moseley was, and is likely to be, the only kicker in league history to take home an MVP award. Moseley won the title in 1982 as a member of the Washington Redskins, hitting an impressive 95.2% of his field goals that season.
Despite this, the NFL season that year was cut short due to strikes, and Moseley only hit four of his eight field goals in the postseason. He wouldn’t have minded that too much though as the Redskins went on to win the Super Bowl.
#2 - Rich Gannon
Quarterback Rich Gannon won the NFL MVP award in 2002 as a member of the Oakland Raiders at the age of 37. Gannon spent the majority of his career as a league backup before joining Jon Gruden and the Raiders in 1999, making four consecutive Pro Bowls from 1999 to 2002. Gannon’s 2002 season consisted of a league-leading 4,689 passing yards, along with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, ending the year with a 97.3 passer rating.
Gannon’s 2002 season ended with him leading the Raiders to the Super Bowl, where they met Gruden and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gannon had an appalling game, throwing a Super Bowl record of five interceptions as the Raiders lost 48-21.
#1 - Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan has had an outstanding career for the Atlanta Falcons, which culminated in him winning the MVP title in 2016. Ryan led the Falcons all the way to the Super Bowl, where they were toppled by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the ’28-3’ game.
Due to the collapse in the Super Bowl, many people forget just how dominant Matt Ryan was in 2016. He passed for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns against just eight interceptions, including a passer rating of 117.1.
On top of this, Ryan passed for an excellent nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in the postseason.
