With four weeks remaining in the 2015 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the MVP race…
1. Carson Palmer, Cardinals: At one point, Tom Brady appeared to be running away with this. But an impeccable effort from Palmer against the Rams combined with lackluster performances in losing efforts from Brady and Adrian Peterson means we have a new king. Palmer’s team now has the same record as Brady’s, and he has an edge in terms of yards-per-attempt, passer rating and the all-important “What have you done for me lately?” category.
2. Cam Newton, Panthers: He’s got the fourth-lowest completion percentage in football and ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of passer rating, but Newton has carried a 12-0 team on his back, using both his arm and legs. Plus, he and Russell Wilson are the hottest quarterbacks in football and nobody has been better than No. 1 in the fourth quarter.
3. Tom Brady, Patriots: Brady has thrown a very un-Brady-like five interceptions in his last five games. And while injuries to his top weapons has to factor in, it’s not as though Newton’s been working with a stacked arsenal. The Pats have lost back-to-back games and Brady hasn’t posted a triple-digit passer rating since October.
4. Andy Dalton, Bengals: Gotta give some love to the league’s highest-rated passer. The leader of the 10-2 Bengals also beats Brady in terms of completion percentage and yards-per-attempt, and he’s right there when it comes to touchdown-to-interception ratio.
5. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: The Hail Mary keeps Rodgers alive, but it would require an especially outrageous finish for him to make an MVP run. He and Adrian Peterson are close to being out of the race.
