NFL 2016: Top 5 MVP candidates after Week 1

It may be early to crown a NFL MVP, but five players balled so hard this weekend that they should at least be considered the leaders of the pack

Oh baby, what a first week of the 2016 NFL season. It may be a little early to crown a MVP but five players were so outstanding in Week 1 of the season that the chatter should at least begin.

The nation’s game is back and it started with a bang. The league seems more equal than ever before with so many games coming down to the last play and the cream is already rising to the top with some early NFL MVP candidates.   You won’t see Tom Brady or Peyton Manning on this list, mainly because Brady is serving his Deflategate suspension and Manning is sipping pina coladas on a beach somewhere.

The last four NFL MVPs were Adrian Peterson (2012), Peyton Manning (2013), Aaron Rodgers (2014), and Cam Newton (2015).  Who will be the next to join this illustrious list? The season has just begun but the MVP candidates are already putting up big numbers and leading their teams.

5) Alex Smith

Alex Smith was known as a game manager; a quarterback who was more apt to check down then let it rip. Well, that changed Sunday. Smith and the Chiefs were down 21 points early in the third quarter to the Chargers and somehow came back to win in overtime, 33-27.

The Chiefs were in disarray and the previously maligned quarterback took over the game. Smith literally put his team on his back and willed them an unprecedented victory from the grasp of defeat. He was electric with his play, hitting receivers in tight windows and putting his team in position to win the game.

Alex Smith threw for 363 yards with two TD passes and he was responsible for the game-winning touchdown run in overtime. Smith’s determination led the Chiefs to their biggest comeback victory in the team’s 56-year history. The usually cool California kid showed some intense emotion after the overtime touchdown run on third-and-goal to seal the game. Smith was very animated on the sidelines as the typically reserved quarterback let his passion and gamesmanship loose.

A MVP candidate doesn’t only fill up the stat sheet but also makes his team better with his performance — and Alex Smith surely did that on Sunday.

Next: Aaron Rodgers