Who Is Leading The MVP Race in the NFL?
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The National Football League’s regular season is in full swing, and there are a number of players who are in the running for the coveted Most Valuable Player award.
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the leading contenders for the MVP award and see who has the best chance of taking home the hardware.
Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Tom Brady is having another MVP caliber season. The New England Patriots quarterback is leading the league in passing yards and touchdown passes. Brady is on pace to throw for over 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns. He is also completing over 70 percent of his passes. The Patriots have the best record in the NFL, and Brady is the biggest reason why.
Regular season statistics
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The NFL is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues, the highest professional level of American football in the world. NFL competition draws enormous television crowds; Super Bowl games account for four of the top ten most-watched sporting events in U.S. history, and all but Super Bowl XLIX are among the Top Ten most-watched programs of all time.
Tom Brady has played quarterback for the New England Patriots since 2000. He is one of only two players in NFL history to have won five Super Bowls (the other being defensive end Charles Haley), and he is the only player to have won them all playing for one team. Brady has also been selected to eleven Pro Bowls, and has led his team to more division titles (16) than any other quarterback in NFL history. He is fourth all-time in career passing yards, fourth in career touchdown passes, and third in career passer rating.
During Brady’s first season as starter, he helped lead the Patriots to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI. In a close game that decided on a last second field goal by Adam Vinatieri, Brady was named Super Bowl MVP after throwing for 145 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The following season, Brady led the Patriots to their second consecutive Super Bowl victory, this time defeating the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in what has been considered one of the biggest upsets in sports history. In 2004, despite dealing with an injury that sidelined him for much of the season, Brady helped lead his team to another Super Bowl appearance where they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.
Postseason statistics
Tom Brady has played in 40 postseason games (including two Super Bowls), and has compiled a record of 27–13. He holds many NFL playoff records, including most touchdown passes (56), most passing yards (9,917), and most wins as a starting quarterback (27). Brady has also been selected to eleven Pro Bowls.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints quarterback is having another impressive season. Through 12 games, he has thrown for 3,463 yards and 28 touchdowns. His completion percentage is also a very solid 70.5. He is currently on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards and could easily reach 30 touchdowns. Brees is once again one of the top quarterbacks in the league and is a big reason why the Saints have a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Regular season statistics
In the regular season, Brees completed 369 of 537 attempts (68.3 percent) for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions. His passer rating was 101.7.
Postseason statistics
In the postseason, Brees has led the Saints to a 6–4 record, completing 207-of-331 passing for 2,485 yards and 14 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He has also rushed for two touchdowns. In his first season as the Saints’ starter in 2006, Brees helped lead New Orleans to their first ever NFC Championship appearance after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2006 NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
As the NFL season winds down, the MVP race is heating up. Who will take home the award this year? Many people are saying it’s Russell Wilson’s year. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback has been putting up amazing numbers all season and has led his team to a great record. Let’s take a look at his stats and see if he is truly the MVP.
Regular season statistics
Wilson has completed 196 of his 322 passing attempts for 2,541 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He has also rushed for 376 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating of 121.8 is second in the NFL behind only Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and his Total QBR of 79.6 is third behind Rodgers and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Postseason statistics
Russell Wilson has been exceptional in the postseason throughout his career, posting a record of 10-5 while throwing 28 touchdown passes and just 11 interceptions. His 105.0 career passer rating is the second highest in NFL history behind only Bart Starr (104.8).
Wilson has also shown an ability to come through in the clutch, leading the Seahawks to six fourth quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives in the playoffs. His 26 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and overtime are the most by any quarterback in NFL history.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
No NFL MVP conversation is complete without Rodgers. He is currently the favorite to take home the award. His numbers back it up as well. Rodgers has thrown for 3,890 yards and 40 touchdowns. He has also only thrown four interceptions. When it comes to MVP, Rodgers is always in the conversation.
Regular season statistics
In the regular season, Rodgers has thrown for 4,299 yards and 45 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He has completed 71.4 percent of his passes and posted a passer rating of 122.5.
Postseason statistics
In the playoffs, Rodgers has an even better touchdown-to-interception ratio, with 37 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. He also has a higher passer rating in the postseason than in the regular season (104.9 to 102.4).
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is leading the MVP race in the NFL. Newton has had an excellent season, leading the Panthers to a 13-0 record. He has thrown for 3,127 yards and 35 touchdowns, and has also rushed for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns. Newton is the clear favorite to win the MVP award.
Regular season statistics
In his first eight NFL seasons, Cam Newton has surpassed 4,000 passing yards five times and rushed for 700-plus yards four times.
The three-time Pro Bowler is one of seven quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 50 passing touchdowns and 30 rushing touchdowns in his career. He’s also the only player in league history with at least 15,000 passing yards (15,297) and 2,000 rushing yards (2,800) in his first eight seasons.
Newton has a career passer rating of 86.1 and has rushed for 58 touchdowns, the most by a quarterback in NFL history.
Postseason statistics
Newton has been incredible in the postseason, leading the Panthers to the Super Bowl with some amazing individual performances. He has thrown for 854 yards and seven touchdowns, while also rushing for another 440 yards and four touchdowns. He has done all of this while completing nearly 67 percent of his passes and only throwing one interception.
