NFL MVP: Who won the first quarter of the season?
By Zac Wassink
It appeared on the night of September 8 as if the same old not-so-super slow-starting San Diego Chargers were going to open up another campaign.
The Chargers took a 17-6 lead over the Arizona Cardinals into the fourth quarter of the regular season opener, only to surrender 12 points in the final frame to lose that contest. San Diego starting quarterback Philip Rivers was decent on that Monday night, completing 21 of 36 attempts for 238 yards. Rivers tossed a touchdown and an interception in the losing effort.
The 32-year-old has since been the best QB in the league, and Rivers has earned NFL MVP honors for the first quarter of the season.
Rivers’ numbers over the past three games, all San Diego victories, are straight out of video game scorelines. He completed roughly 74 percent of his passes thrown. Rivers threw 8 touchdowns, and he hasn’t been picked off since that Monday night at Arizona. His average rating over his past 12 quarters of football?
128.53.
Rivers began his hot run by lighting it up against a Seattle Seahawks defense that had shut Aaron Rodgers and the offense of the Green Bay Packers down in Week 1. The advertised best defense in the NFL couldn’t stop Rivers from completing 28 of 37 attempts (75.7 completion percentage), from throwing 3 touchdowns, and from ending the game with a 124.2 rating.
Rivers followed that afternoon by notching a duo of touchdown passes against the Buffalo Bills during a game that kicked off at 1:00 pm ET in Buffalo. Rivers tossed 3 touchdowns against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday.
Those who would want to list a different player ahead of Rivers in the NFL MVP race may point out that the Bills are average, at best, and that the Jaguars are one of the worst overall teams in the league. Those are valid statements, but they also ignore that injuries have resulted in the Chargers having to rely on a third-string running back and a third-string center.
Anybody expecting Rivers to cool down at some point over the fall would do well to examine his numbers from 2013. Rivers completed 69.5 percent of his attempts, and he paired 32 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Rivers ended the campaign with a 105.5 rating, equaling his career-high as a starter.
Look for Rivers to improve his NFL MVP resume over the next couple of weeks. The Chargers will host a New York Jets side that has arguably the worst secondary in the league this coming Sunday. San Diego will be away to the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Oakland Raiders on October 12.
His impressive production aside, nobody should expect Rivers to run away with the MVP award this fall. Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson both played well in September. They will be in MVP discussions during the holiday season if their forms hold true over the next several months.
The previously mentioned Rodgers could also be a candidate if he is able to lead the Packers on a turnaround that sees Green Bay win the division. Rodgers, who recently told fans to R-E-L-A-X about the Packers being at 1-2, hit AFC North rivals the Chicago Bears for 4 touchdowns in a 38-17 victory at Soldier Field.
Honorable mention
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck did not receive much love in September NFL MVP pieces, and deservedly so. Luck was intercepted on three occasions through Weeks 1 and 2. He was held to 192 passing yards by a Philadelphia Eagles defense that hasn’t looked all that stellar in games played outside of Indy. Luck was but a completed pass away from leading the Colts to a victory over the Eagles on that Monday night.
Indianapolis instead began the season at 0-2.
Luck, as expected, righted the ship in games against the Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. He struck for 4 touchdowns in each of those two contests, and Luck has been intercepted only once in his past eight quarters.
Luck is tied with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for most completions (115) in the NFL. No QB has more touchdown passes (13) or passing yards (1,305) than Luck.
Neither the Jags nor the Titans will be playing January football, and that does factor into why Rivers and not Luck is the leader of the pack heading into October. Luck will have to get it done against the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants to remain in NFL MVP conversations through the middle of November.
Do not, however, discount how well Luck has played as of late. The 25-year old has had the physical tools to play on Sundays since the day he was drafted by the Colts. He is continuing to mature as a person and as a NFL quarterback, and Luck has flashed poise and on-the-field leadership not seen in most third-year QBs.
How he plays against top-tier competition will determine his NFL MVP status moving forward.
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