With seven weeks remaining in the 2016 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the MVP race…
1. Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys: The 21-year-old running back is the NFL’s second-youngest regular starter, and yet he might already be its best player. Elliott has twice as many 140-plus-scrimmage-yard games than any other player in football. He’s on pace to shatter several key rookie records and might even make a run at the all-time single-season yards-from-scrimmage mark. Dak Prescott has been phenomenal, but Elliott has been better.
2. Tom Brady, Patriots: The league’s highest-rated passer finally had an imperfect game in a home loss to the Seahawks. He’s still completed 72.9 percent of his passes and has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12-to-1 in five starts, four of them wins.
3. Matt Ryan, Falcons: He’s sliding after his worst performance of the year, but that 9.4 yards-per-attempt average is second to only Brady and Atlanta remains in first place.
4. Matthew Stafford, Lions: The league’s fifth-highest-rated passer is having a lights-out season for Detroit, especially in clutch situations. He’s on pace to set a new single-season record with eight fourth-quarter comebacks.
5. Derek Carr, Raiders: The fourth-quarter magician remains in the fifth spot following a bye. Love that 17-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
6. Dak Prescott, Cowboys: The league’s fourth-highest-rated passer isn’t the most valuable player on his team, but he’s still got a 14-to-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio for an 8-1 team. That’s enough to edge out top defensive candidates Von Miller, Aaron Donald and Landon Collins.
