Just how close did Tom Brady get to winning 2021 NFL MVP award?

The 2021 NFL MVP race was mostly between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers for the majority of the second half of the season. Both quarterbacks performed exceptionally well, and many fans were excited to see who would ultimately win.

While Cooper Kupp and Jonathan Taylor each had excellent seasons, they were always going to be long shots because they aren't quarterbacks. The last non-quarterback to win the award was Adrian Peterson back in 2012.

Voting has always seemed to favor quarterbacks, and the 2021-2022 season was no different. This trend is why the race was pretty much always going to come down to either Rodgers or Brady.

The pair of legendary quarterbacks dominated for the large majority of the year. The race appeared to be extremely tight based on statistics, but voters disagreed in the end, with Rodgers winning by a wide margin.

Aaron Rodgers received 39 of the 50 official votes for the 2021 NFL MVP award, earning a 78 percent share of the vote. Tom Brady came in second place with just ten votes while Cooper Kupp received one vote.

Despite consistently spectacular performances from Tampa Bay's superstar quarterback, he didn't even come close to winning this year's NFL MVP award.

Why did Aaron Rodgers receive so many more votes than Tom Brady?

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

Tom Brady led the NFL this year in just about every cumulative passing statistic. He recorded 485 completions for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, all three of which were the highest in the NFL. He was also the only player this season to average more than 300 yards per game.

With one of the best overall seasons of his legendary career, many expected the MVP race to be incredibly close.

The voting results for the 2021 NFL MVP award apparently show that voters cared more about efficiency than cumulative statistics. Rodgers wasn't particularly close in terms of raw numbers, recording 366 completions for 4,115 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Rodgers really made his mark this season with his excellent efficiency, where he was in a class of his own. Aaron Rodgers recorded a 111.9 passer rating and 69.2 QBR this year, both top marks in the NFL by a fairly significant margin.

He was also ranked second with a 68.9 completion percentage. He threw 37 touchdowns with just four interceptions, accounting for a massive 9.25 ratio. The next closest was nearly half, with a 4.71 ratio.

The NFL MVP award is determined by voters and doesn't have specific criteria. More than three quarters of the voting field determined that Rodgers' efficiency earned him the victory.