NFL MVP Race: 6 top candidates for NFL’s top award
By Zac Wassink
Think it is too early to begin following the 2014 National Football League Most Valuable Player race? Heck, 1/8 of the regular season is already in the past!
Only one non-quarterback has been named Associated Press NFL MVP for a season since 2007: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012. Quarterbacks are football and advertising superstars, and current NFL rules favor the passing game ahead of any other aspect of a team’s offense. It has thus become easier than ever for QBs to pick up MVP honors at the end of seasons.
No one quarterback is threatening to run away with the award two weeks into the 2014 season. An old familiar face is once leading the pack, but he is not putting up numbers that compare to the monster and historic stats he and his offense produced last September. Along with that veteran in the list of early MVP candidates are three other quarterbacks and a pair of running backs, the latter two needing to learn how to secure the football if they are to remain legitimate contenders to the throne for the entire campaign.
QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
The easy/lazy explanation for Manning being atop the first list of NFL MVP candidates is that he is Peyton Manning. The 38-year old is not here based only on reputation.
Manning is still pretty good.
The Sheriff leads the NFL in touchdowns thrown (6) and in quarterback rating (126.5). Manning is completing 69.4 percent of his pass attempts. He has yet to throw an interception.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Broncos are 2-0 and believed, my many, to be the best overall team in the NFL.
Manning may not be on pace to toss 50+ touchdown passes in 2014, but that doesn’t keep him from being the man most likely to be named MVP after two games. The award is his to lose.
QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
So the Seahawks are beatable, especially when not playing at home. Big deal. Seattle remains responsible for one of the top rosters in the NFL, and you can bet that the Seahawks will be playing January football barring numerous unforeseen setbacks.
Praising only the Seattle defense for the team’s successes would be unfair to the reigning and defending Super Bowl champion quarterback. Wilson has thrown four touchdowns with zero interceptions. His quarterback rating is 114.7. That Wilson is averaging only 196.5 passing yards per game doesn’t help his cause, but he has plenty of time to boost that stat before late December rolls around.
QB Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers refused to test Seattle shutdown corner Richard Sherman on the opening night of the 2014 NFL regular season. Rivers had no such fears, and his connecting with tight end Antonio Gates for three touchdowns helped propel the Chargers to a 30-21 victory over the Seahawks this past weekend.
Rivers is providing evidence that his 2013 revival was not a one-off. The 32-year old is averaging two touchdown passes per game. He has a 100.4 season rating. Rivers looked as good as ever when playing against the vaunted Seattle defense, completing 28 of 37 attempts (75.7 completion percentage) for three scores with no turnovers.
Watch for Rivers to climb up NFL MVP lists if he maintains his hot hand.
QB Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
Dalton was awarded with a contract that could be worth a lot of money this past summer, but it does not promise Dalton much of anything as of September 2014. That deal could be worth up to $96 million, but only $17 million of it is guaranteed to the Cincy QB at this time.
It is so far, so good for Dalton and for the Bengals two games in. Dalton has already posted victories over division rivals the Baltimore Ravens and over the Atlanta Falcons, completing 65.6 percent of his passes and having a 105.4 rating in the process. Even more impressive is that Dalton and the Bengals cruised to a win over the Falcons despite losing wide receiver A.J. Green to a toe injury early on in that contest.
Green’s status moving forward will likely play a role in Dalton’s place on this list past this week.
RB DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
Murray leads the NFL in rushing after two games, going for 285 yards and a touchdown apiece in those contests. Where his production levels off — and it will — along with how much the Cowboys win/don’t win over the next couple of months will affect Murray’s MVP hopes.
Murray also has to stop being his own worst enemy during games. The 26-year old is currently averaging one fumble lost per game. That stat will get a running back benched.
RB Arian Foster, Houston Texans
It was only a little over a month ago that the public learned that Foster had pondered retirement following the back injury that ended his 2013 season. He is now behind only Murray in total rushing yards (241) and in rushing yards gained per game (120.5). Foster found the end zone once in Houston’s 30-14 victory over the Oakland Raiders on the afternoon of September 14.
Foster lost a fumble in the team’s season opener versus the Washington Redskins, a game the Texans won 17-6. Houston being a surprising 2-0 side makes Foster an interesting NFL MVP candidate to follow over the next several weeks, but he has a long ways to go before he catches up with the quarterbacks sitting atop the list after two weeks of meaningful football.
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