Clear Cut MVP Candidates
Rodgers vs. Ryan...and No One Else
As the NFL season winds down, it comes time to heat up with the bickering of trying to predict the League’s Most Valuable Player. It’s quite clear that this should be a tight race between at least six players...well actually, not really. There should only be talk about two players. Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers. No one else should even be in the running. Yes, it’s true, Derek Carr had a fantastic season and led the Oakland Raiders to their playoff appearance, and yes, without him they were less than stellar, but there’s just something about him not finishing the season that can’t bring me to consider him. As unfortunate as it is, as I wanted him to win the honor. As for the other “contenders,” Tom Brady missed the first four games of the year and New England proved they can win without him. Simple as that. And well, the fact that he missed four games. And the Cowboy tandem of Zeke and Prescott? Give me a break people, Dak’s numbers were nowhere near as good as Ryan’s or Rodgers’ or even Brady’s so why he’s in the talks I don’t know. And while Zeke has had a fantastic year, easily worthy of Rookie of the Year voting, he shouldn’t be in the same talks as Ryan and Rodgers for most valuable.
What Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers did for their teams this year is outstanding. Both teams led their squads to the playoffs after rocky starts to the season...especially for the Packers. Coach Mike McCarthy found himself on the hot seat during the Pack’s four game slide in the middle of the season. And the Falcons weren’t looking consistent enough to match the high performance of the NFC with losses to the lackluster Chargers and the grounded Eagles. Yet, as the season wore on, both teams made a surge towards the playoffs with Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers at the helms. The Packers finished the season winning their last six, and the Falcons finished winning five of their last six. Both teams rode high into the playoffs with the Packers winning the division in an epic last game against Detroit and the Falcons cruised right in with the two seed.
Now, when looking at the voting, one of the first questions to ponder is “where would this team be without the candidate?” So, let’s take a look at this. We already know the Raiders wouldn’t be anywhere near the playoffs without Carr, yet, as mentioned before, he didn’t have a complete season. As for Tom Brady? New England went 3-1 while he was suspended. They’d be fine. The Cowboys? Without Zeke they would’ve been no worse off as they have Alfred Morris as the backup and with that offensive line any running back would succeed. And no Dak? Sure the Cowboys wouldn’t have cruised to a 13-3 record, but they wouldn’t have been in that bad of shape with Romo and Sanchez. Now, take Rodgers off the Packers and where are they? Not in the playoffs that’s for sure. And no Ryan? Take the Falcons out of the playoffs too. No two candidates who played the whole year did more for their team while also putting up MVP numbers. Here are the two stat lines for Rodgers and Ryan:
Rodgers: 4,428 yards, 40 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a 104.2 passer rating
Ryan: 4,944 yards, 38 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a 117.1 passer rating
If these two stat lines don’t scream MVP then I don’t know what does.