With three weeks remaining in the 2016 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the MVP race…
1. Tom Brady, Patriots: The NFL’s highest-rated passer was a stud without any help in a dominant performance against the league’s top-ranked defense. And just like that, he takes a commanding lead.
2. Derek Carr, Raiders: You could argue that no player has made a bigger difference on his team than Carr, but his rate-based numbers are lacking and he hasn’t played a complete game in a while. He’s still in this, but an abysmal performance in a loss to the Chiefs really hurts.
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Where’d he come from? The NFL’s passing touchdown leader is on fire, carrying a team that looked dead just a few weeks ago.
4. Matthew Stafford, Lions: He set a new single-season record with his eighth fourth-quarter comeback Sunday against Chicago. That alone makes him a candidate, but he hasn’t been consistent enough.
5. Matt Ryan, Falcons: He’s been carrying the league’s highest-scoring offense for a first-place team, and he ranks first in the league by a huge margin with a 9.2 yards-per-attempt average. Only Brady has a higher passer rating.
6. Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys: The rookie leads the NFL in rushing by a 257-yard margin and the Cowboys have the best record in the NFC.
