The NFL MVP race is currently highlighted by five quarterbacks (QBs). The five candidates, in no particular order, are Patriots’ Tom Brady, Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, Eagles’ Carson Wentz, Saints’ Drew Brees and Vikings’ Case Keenum. However, there are pros and cons to each of these quarterbacks.
Brady plays for the second best team in the AFC (behind the Pittsburgh Steelers)and currently leads the conference in touchdowns. He is only behind Wilson and Wentz in touchdowns, and currently leads the entire league in completions and yardage. He’s definitely the headliner for this race right now, as he’s been the hall of fame QB who’s 40 years old doing things that 25 year olds normally do. The case is against him because not everyone likes Brady or his attitude.While he still is considered the best in the league and the best of all time, the name Tom Brady disgusts reporters and fans everywhere.
Wilson is an interesting case because he covers 84% of the Seahawks offense. He leads the entire team in rushing yards and touchdowns, and is second in the league in touchdowns and passing yards. Wilson, though, is tied for seventh in the league for interceptions, and his completion percentage is the lowest of his career at around 61% which is lower than Dolphins QB Jay Cutler and Giants QB Eli Manning. This could be a result of him having one of the worst offensive lines in the league, as he’s been sacked 29 times so far this season. His team and his performance are going to have to step up if he’s going to have a chance at winning the award.
Wentz is out of the race for this award now as his season has come to a close with his torn ACL injury. However he still was one of the surprise players of this year, leading the league in touchdowns, even with one of the best running backs in the league, Jay Ajayi. Like Wilson, his completions have been off because of his high amounts of sacks, but also like Wilson, he has maintained a good QB rating with 73.6. We could only imagine how his stats and MVP stock would change had he not injured himself.
Brees has shown this year that he is a future hall of fame QB through this year’s stats. He is fifth in the league in passing yards with 3,569 in total, third in QB rating-along with having a 71.7% completion percentage (first in the NFL). He is a dark horse MVP candidate. The only problem with his run for MVP is that running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have been valuable and arguably more valuable to the team this year. Brees is the leader of the team, and has been successful the past several years, so if he continues what he’s doing he can lead the Saints to the playoffs and could see his name on the Lombardi Trophy.
Keenum is a different MVP candidate. With QB Teddy Bridgewater injured, you’d wonder if the Vikings could even be a winning team. Well, Keenum stepped up and delivered with a year that silenced the haters and made the Rams and Texans wish that they never gave him up. He’s had an above average year with a 66.7% completion percentage, nearly 3,000 yards, 18 touchdowns, and a 96.2 rating. While being the Vikings MVP this year, it’d be hard to not call him the NFL MVP this season despite the success and leadership he’s had for the 10-3 Vikings.
Right now the MVP race is too close to call between the top three guys, Brady Wilson and Wentz. The MVP is given to the player who’s contributed most to his team, It’s a coin flip right now. We’ll see what happens come playoff time.
