10 biggest award snubs in NFL history

2. 1987 NFL MVP
Winner: John Elway
Snub: Jerry Rice

Only one receiver season even compares to Randy Moss' 2007 season. The 1987 season of Jerry Rice was unlike anything seen at that time. Nobody had ever recorded more than 20 receiving touchdowns in a season. Rice did it in 12 games. You read that correctly. Rice dominated the league for 12 games to the tune of almost two touchdowns per game. He also added a rushing touchdown for good measure.

It's not like he missed any time (1987 was home to the player strike, which included one canceled game and three games with replacement players). Rice was the best player in the league, and it wasn't even close. This is no slack against John Elway. He listed his team up by its waste strap to bring them all the way to the Super Bowl. However, Rice was the best player and lifted the 49ers beyond what was previously possible.

This is the telltale story of "most valuable" versus "best player." Rice had so many great players around him, but is it his fault? This is still possibly the greatest season at any position we've ever seen. It is wild to think this was Elway's only MVP. It wasn't even his best season. It would be hard to take Elway's only MVP away, but it's impossible to deny what Rice did this season.