With eight weeks remaining in the 2016 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the MVP race…
1. Tom Brady, Patriots: Off a bye week, Brady still leads the NFL with a completion percentage of 73.1, a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12-to-0, a yards-per-attempt average of 9.8 and a passer rating of 133.9. In his four starts, the Patriots are 4-0 and are averaging 34.0 points per game.
2. Matt Ryan, Falcons: Coming off his best performance of the year in an impressive victory over the Buccaneers, Ryan is firmly the league’s second-highest-rated passer. He leads the NFL in passing yards (2,980) and touchdowns (23) and ranks second to Brady with a 9.5 yards-per-attempt average.
3. Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys: The rookie had 97 more yards on 19 touches in another Dallas victory Sunday, and he now ranks first in the league in rushing by an 84-yard margin. Dak Prescott deserves a lot of love too, but Elliott is the key to that 7-1 start.
4. Matthew Stafford, Lions: Calvin who? The league’s fifth-highest-rated passer is having a lights-out season for Detroit, especially in clutch situations.
#NFL record for QB fourth-quarter comebacks in a season: 7.
Matthew Stafford now has 5 in 9 weeks this year. #Lions
— Brad Gagnon (@Brad_Gagnon) November 6, 2016
5. Derek Carr, Raiders: Another solid performance in a huge victory over the division rival Broncos. Carr has the Raiders in Super Bowl contention.
6. Von Miller, Broncos: Our token defensive contender is hanging by a thread. Still, he had another sack and another strong performance in Week 9, and he’s probably still ahead of Aaron Donald in the defensive player of the year race.
