NFL MVP Race: Top 5 MVP Candidates Heading Into Week 17
By Bryce Olin
1. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys
372 attempts, 1,742 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, 395 receiving yards, 2,140 yards from scrimmage
HOT-TAKE ALERT!
There is no one in the league that deserves the MVP more than DeMarco Murray.
The Dallas Cowboys are likely going to be 12-4 and the third-seed in the NFC playoffs, and Murray is the biggest reason for that.
Murray has been the best running back in the NFL this season, and he carried the Cowboys through the first 14 games of the season. Murray is leading the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and total yards from scrimmage.
Murray broke his hand in the Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago, and has struggled to put up Murray-esque numbers in the last two games. That has caused some stir for Tony Romo to be considered in the MVP discussion.
GET REAL, PEOPLE!
Romo has been great this season, but don’t get it twisted. The Cowboys are in a position to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs because of one man: DeMarco Murray.
Without Murray, the Cowboys would not be a playoff team, and it’s as simple as that.
Murray was a crutch for the Cowboys the first half of the season. The ‘Boys could run Murray 20-plus times per game, move the ball methodically down the field, and keep their pedestrian defense on the sideline.
Through eight games, Murray also was on pace to break 2,000 rushing yards for the season and become part of the most exclusive club of running backs. Unfortunately, Murray got a little banged up and Dallas went away from him a little bit.
Murray only got 101 carries between Week 8 and Week 14, which is an average of 20.2 carries per game. Prior to Week 8, Murray was averaging 26.6 carries per game.
Murray is suffering because we, the fans, value running backs so much less than any other position in the entire league. We assume because some offenses have success “plugging” any running back into a system that the position doesn’t matter and that anyone could do it. That’s simply not true in the case of the Cowboys.
Murray deserves the MVP; show some respect.