With 10 whole weeks remaining in the 2016 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the MVP race…
1. Tom Brady, Patriots: He’s now thrown enough passes to officially qualify for a passer rating, which is enough for us. Brady leads the NFL in every key rate-based passing category by a huge margin and the first-place Pats are 3-0 since he returned from suspension.
2. Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys: With four straight 130-yard performances, the rookie back still leads the NFL in rushing after Dallas’ bye. He’s averaging a ridiculous 117.2 yards per game and is the primary reason the Cowboys are 5-1.
3. Matt Ryan, Falcons: He’s still the league’s second-highest-rated passer, but back-breaking interceptions in consecutive fourth quarters have really hurt Ryan’s chances. His numbers are great, but he’s also getting a lot of support from the running game, Julio Jones and even the defense right now. And yet the Falcons are only 4-3.
4. Matthew Stafford, Lions: Rather quietly, he’s having the best season of his career despite losing Calvin Johnson. The 28-year-old ranks in the top four in terms of completion percentage, touchdowns and passer rating, and he’s been particularly clutch for the streaking Lions.
5. Derek Carr, Raiders: He’s also had a clutch thing going for the Raiders, coming up big in key spots. Thirteen touchdowns, three picks and a 65.9 completion percentage help too, but he has to increase his yards-per-attempt average (6.8) and his passer rating (97.2) while continuing to win games.
6. Von Miller, Broncos: He’s here because so many quarterbacks have fallen off lately and Miller is clearly the most dominant defensive player in a league that currently lacks J.J. Watt. Still, he’d have to really improve on his current numbers (7.5 sacks and one forced fumble in seven games) in order to make a serious run at MVP.
