NFL MVP Race: Nick Foles, Matt Ryan join QB carousel
By Zac Wassink
Unlike last February’s edition of the game, this past weekend’s Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks contest did not fail to deliver. Two of the best quarterbacks in the National Football League today produced touchdown drives with the game on the line, and once again it was Russell Wilson who got the best of Peyton Manning.
Quarterbacks win NFL Most Valuable Player. It’s the lay of the land as it pertains to the league in 2014, and that is reflected in latest list of NFL MVP candidates.
QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
Manning did all he could to avenge that Super Bowl defeat to the Seattle Seahawks. He hit on 31 of 49 pass attempts for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Manning’s pursuit of a win and also his place in the list of possible NFL MVP candidates appeared to take hits when a forced pass was picked off by Seattle safety Kam Chancellor with 2:25 left in the game.
Then came Denver’s final offensive drive of regulation. Manning was surgical in taking the Broncos 80 yards down the field in 41 seconds without using any timeouts, and his pass to Demaryius Thomas for the two-point conversion that tied the game was as good a ball as Manning has thrown all season.
Manning and the Denver offense wouldn’t again see the field. Russell Wilson took the Seahawks down the field for a game-winning touchdown drive on the only possession of overtime
Manning is second in the league in touchdown passes (8), second in QB rating (108.5), and he is completing 66.7 percent of his passes. Last week may not have gone to his liking, but the 2014 NFL MVP award is still his to lose.
QB Russell Wilson, SeattleSeahawks
So if Manning is second in the NFL in QB rating, who is ahead of him? Nick Foles? Philip Rivers? Drew Brees?
Nope. It’s the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle quarterback who sits on a 108.9 rating three games into the season.
Wilson put up solid numbers against the Denver defense, connecting on 24 of 34 pass attempts. He finished the game with 258 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Wilson also picked up 40 yards on the ground.
It was during overtime when Wilson flashed his brilliance. He made plays with his arms and his legs, completing four of six pass attempts and also rushing for 21 yards during the game’s last drive.
The “game-manager” and “great young quarterback” labels will soon disappear if Wilson holds true to his current form. The 25-year old is developing into one of the best in the business, and there are few legitimate reasons to believe Wilson will not continue to improve.
QB Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
Foles helped the Eagles win a thrilling 37-34 shootout over division rivals the Washington Redskins, and the third-year pro is consistently producing in what is the most exciting offense in the NFL. Foles has thrown for over 320 yards in each of Philadelphia’s three regular season games. He currently leads the NFL in passing yards (978). Only four QBs have more passing touchdowns than Foles (6).
As important as Foles’ personal stats is that the Eagles are 3-0.
Foles was beaten up by the Washington defense on Sunday, most notably when he was rocked by Chris Baker following an interception that was ruled incomplete following a review. That he showed toughness and grit in standing tall and making plays is admirable, but Foles may not be at 100 percent when the Eagles are away to the San Francisco 49ers this weekend.
QB Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
The Bears could be 1-2. Fans of the Jets would tell you that Chicago absolutely should be 1-2 or even 0-3.
Neither is the case. Chicago sits at 2-1, and Cutler can be thanked for that.
For the second straight road game, this time against the New York Jets, the rushing attack of the Bears was limited by an opposing defense. Cutler delivered versus the Jets as he did in the second half of the Chicago victory over the San Francisco 49ers, twice finding the end zone in the winning effort. Cutler’s eight overall touchdown passes has him tied with Manning for second-best in the league behind only Foles.
Whether or not he will be in the NFL MVP race come Christmastime will be determined. Cutler is currently on pace to throw for over 40 touchdowns this season, his defense is nothing special, and his backfield hasn’t been elite when tested. There is no question Cutler deserves to be in the MVP discussion three weeks into the season.
QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons
It has to be pointed out that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were awful, flat out awful, against the Falcons last Thursday. Just about any quarterback on a NFL roster outside of those wearing Tampa Bay colors could have put up MVP numbers against the Bucs.
Ryan still had to make the throws on the field, though, and he connected nearly every time the ball left his hand.
Matty Ice set a team record in completing 87.5 percent of his pass attempts. Ryan tossed three touchdowns, he threw for 286 yards, and he left the game early with a rating of 155.9. There is little doubt that he would have had a night for the ages and for NFL record books had he played up until the final whistle of the contest.
More from FanSided.com
NFL Power Rankings Week 3: Seahawks, Broncos flip-flop; Cardinals crack top 5
NFL: 5 things we didn’t see coming in Week 3
NBA: 7 players with the most to lose in 2014-15
College Football Player Rankings: Week 4
Ravens player does LeBron James chalk toss to celebrate touchdown, trolls Browns (GIF)