With 10 whole weeks remaining in the 2015 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the MVP race…
1. Tom Brady, Patriots — New England is still perfect, and while Brady is no longer the league’s highest-rated passer, his 16-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is the best in football. He’s also been nearly perfect in the fourth quarter of one-score games, completing 82.1 percent of his passes in those all-important spots. That’s why he maintains a small edge here.
2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers — Green Bay is also perfect, and Rodgers’ numbers are almost identical to Brady’s.
3. Andy Dalton, Bengals — Oh, and the Bengals remain perfect, with Dalton leading the NFL with a 116.1 passer rating. He also has a 150.8 rating in the fourth quarter of one-score games, which is higher than Brady’s. A big performance against the rival Steelers this weekend could move him ahead of Brady and Rodgers.
4. Carson Palmer, Cardinals — The league’s fourth highest-rated passer is the primary reason why Arizona is running the NFC West at 5-2, but he’s made a few more mistakes then the three guys ahead of him and has received plenty of support from a great defense and a rejuvenated running game.
5. Cam Newton, Panthers — The numbers aren’t as pretty, but Carolina wouldn’t be close to 6-0 without Newton. He’ll have to make fewer mistakes in November and December, but he’s definitely in the running.
Other candidates: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back Le’Veon Bell, Falcons running back Devonta Freeman and receiver Julio Jones.
