NFL: Ranking every MVP winner in league history based on pro career

Ranking every MVP winner in NFL history: 24. Steve McNair

Stats:

• 31,304 passing yards
• 174 touchdowns
• 119 interceptions

Steve McNair never carried his teams over the championship hump. He wasn’t considered the best in the game and he never had the longevity that his contemporaries had but McNair was a special and rare talent.

Seldom if ever, do you see great players emerge from Alcorn State. Yet, McNair was dominant during his time there and was selected as the third overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers.

While he may have been selected with a high pick, McNair’s career didn’t start as smoothly as a traditional top-three selection. In his first two seasons, McNair played a backup role to the underwhelming Chris Chandler. Once McNair was given his chance to take control of things, the team took off.

McNair made four playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl berth in 1999. While his Oilers ultimately lost against the St. Louis Rams, McNair continued to play out of his mind. In 2003, his lone MVP season, McNair was the best player in the league. He threw for 3,215 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Although he had several terrific seasons, McNair was never quite Hall of Fame material. He only managed to make three Pro Bowl teams and his career passing yards of 31,304 and 174 passing touchdowns, both rank outside the top 45 all-time.

To sum it up, McNair had a terrific career but he never took his game to the next level.