One Two in MVP Blow Chance to win Super Bowl?
Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, the two top finishers for the NFL’s MVP award, watched the Super Bowl the same way you did Sunday.
That’s to say neither the Buffalo quarterback, nor the Baltimore quarterback were in the game.
And they never have been.
Allen won his first MVP this season and Jackson just missed his third. And for the second straight season they both missed what could have been their best chances to get to the Super Bowl.
If that trend continues, and both star QBs will be in their eighth NFL seasons in 2025, they would go down as the two best quarterbacks in modern history (nee the Super Bowl era) to never make it to a Super Bowl.
Who’s on that list currently? Here is a six pack of quarterbacks who did everything except get to the big game. Feel free to come up with a few of your own to add to the list.
Philip Rivers, Chargers/Colts (2004-20)
The regular-season numbers jump off the page. Rivers threw for 63,440 yards and 421 touchdowns. He did get to the AFC Championship Game once and lost to Tom Brady and the Pats in 2007. His 2009 team went 13-3, but lost to the Jets, yes the Jets, after a bye week.
Dan Fouts, Chargers, (1973-87)
Fouts regular season numbers (over 43,000 yards and 254 touchdowns) were enough to get him inducted into the Hall of Fame. It wasn’t enough to ever get the Chargers past the second round of the playoffs, however.
Randall Cunningham, Eagles/Vikings (1985-2001)
There were stops in Dallas and Baltimore as well, but Cunningham’s chances came with the Eagles and Vikings. He didn’t get it done in Philly, but it wasn’t his fault Gary Andersen missed an easy field goal in the 1998 NFC Championship Game for the Vikes. His career numbers of just under 30,000 yards passing, just under 5,000 rushing and an 82-52-1 record are impressive.
Warren Moon, Oilers/Vikings (1984-2000)
Like Fouts his 49,325 passing yards and 291 touchdowns got him into the Hall of Fame. And also like Fouts he never got past the second round of the playoffs.
Bernie Kosar, Browns (1984-96)
Kosar doesn’t have the eye-popping numbers as the others on the list. He did come the closest to the Super Bowl, however. Twice. He got Cleveland to the AFC title game in 1986 and 1987. It wasn’t Kosar’s fault Ernest Byner fumbled at the 1-yard line or that John Elway took the Broncos 98 yards in the other.
Andrew Luck, Colts (2012-18)
Injuries ended Luck’s career too soon. In five of the six years he played at least 10 games, the Colts had a winning record. They made the playoffs four of those five years, advanced at least to the second round three times and made it to the AFC title game in 2014 where they lost to Brady and the Pats.
