Halfway There
As week 9 comes to a close, the 2015 NFL season is halfway over—and what a wild one it’s been.
Pre-season favorites like Baltimore, Dallas, and San Diego combine for only six wins, while the Bengals, Patriots, and Panthers remain undefeated. Peyton Manning leads the league in interceptions, but his team has only one loss. Drew Brees is on pace for 5,000 yards, but finds his team far from the playoff race.
It’s been a whacky season, but it’s still early. In the coming weeks, some teams will revive their playoff hopes, getting healthy, going on runs, and developing some confidence. Others will fall apart, lose crucial players to injury, and limp into the off-season.
The season is far from over, but half the fun of watching professional sports is the debate, and what conversation is more fun, or more controversial, than the MVP race?
What does “Most Valuable” mean?
It’s a question that nobody seems to have the answer for. Is the MVP the best player in the league or is he the one who means the most to his franchise? Is the MVP the person who overcomes the most adversity? It seems like the criteria changes depending who you ask.
Last season, Aaron Rodgers won, and it’s easy to see why. Rodgers threw for 4,381 yards, 38 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions while leading the Packers to a 12-4 record, and their fourth straight NFC North title. Nothing to sneeze at! The touchdown to interception ratio plus team success made him an easy pick.
Another easy pick would’ve been Texans defensive end, J.J. Watt. Last year, Watt registered 20.5 sacks, becoming the first player in NFL history with multiple 20 sack seasons. It would be easy to understand overlooking him if he were a traditional 3-4 linebacker, a position designed to help pressure the QB, but he isn’t.
He’s a 3-4 defensive end. In a traditional 3-4, the defensive linemen are supposed to hog offensive linemen, making it easier for blitzing linebackers to get through. Playing a non-conventional pass rushing position, J.J. Watt managed to have one of the best seasons in NFL history… but he didn’t win the MVP.
But that isn’t really a surprise. In the history of the NFL, only two defensive players have ever won the hardware, and that hasn’t happened since Lawrence Taylor in 1986. The reality is, unless you’re setting a record for rushing yards or touchdowns… It’s the award for the league’s best quarterback.
Having said that, here are some guys who should probably be in the conversation when the season ends.
At the Half: NFL MVP Candidates
Todd Gurley
It’s unusual to talk about a rookie in the MVP conversation, but there’s no denying that Gurley has been dominant since making his NFL debut seven weeks ago. He’s averaging 111 yards per game, and that’s including a game where he had 6 carries for 9 yards. He’s on pace for well over 1,500 yards and 9 touchdowns. As the weather gets colder, teams are going to rely more on the run, and there aren’t many teams that are more prepared for that than the Rams. If the season ended today, the Rams would be on the outside looking in, but if they can make a push for the NFC West, or at least a wild card spot, there will be no question who the Rams should thank. Honestly, assuming his numbers keep up? Gurley should be able to edge out Oakland’s Amari Cooper for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Adrian Peterson
Before the season started, many people were skeptical that Adrian Peterson would be the same back. Peterson only played one game in 2014 before being suspended, and his 2013 campaign, while not bad, was unimpressive, only registering 1,266 yards. However, they were wrong. Through 9 weeks, Peterson has rushed for 758 yards, which currently leads the league. Peterson is almost a lock to bring home the Comeback Player of the Year award. While his stats may not be as impressive as Gurley’s down the road, his Vikings are 6-2, and he has to get the bulk of the credit.
The Vikings have a shot at home-field advantage, and you can’t thank Teddy Bridgewater’s six touchdowns and interceptions for it. The only thing that can keep Peterson out of the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility is his off the field behavior, and the success of the Vikings moving forward will determine whether Peterson brings home his second MVP.
Derek Carr
This seems like an unconventional pick, but when you look at the numbers, it’s impossible to deny that the second year passer is having a phenomenal season. It all starts with the team success. Few people outside of the Black Hole believed the Raiders would be able to win four games, let alone be sitting at 4-4 halfway through the season. The Raiders rapid improvement has been one of the more exciting stories of the season so far.
Who gets the credit? Certainly not the 30th ranked defense, as they’ve given up about 400 yards and 26 points a game. Not the 18th ranked rushing attack, one that barely creeps over 100 yards per game.
You’ve gotta look at the Raiders passing attack and give them most of the credit for being this good.
Derek Carr has thrown for 2,094 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions so far, and that’s including both a bye week and a week one blowout loss to Cincinnati where Carr was knocked out of the game early. Statistically, Carr is on pace for 4,417 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 9 interceptions. In every game he has had adequate playing time in, except for a week five loss to the Broncos, he has thrown multiple touchdowns.
While the stats lost in the Bengals blowout might be the biggest argument against Carr being in the MVP conversation, there’s also an argument that it’s the biggest reason he should be. The Raiders were only down by ten and driving when Carr left the game in the second quarter. The Bengals went on to score 23 more points and the Raiders offense failed to get anything going. Some would point to the additions of Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper to explain the recent success of the Raiders, but with Matt McGloin under center, neither man made much of an impact. This provides some evidence that Carr acts as a catalyst for the new Raider offense, and should be considered for the award for how much he’s helped turn the Raiders around.
Cam Newton
Cam is the most controversial of the MVP candidates. Cam’s numbers aren’t all that great. He’s 11th in passing touchdowns (14), 22th in passing yards (1,820 yards), and has thrown the sixth most interceptions (9). However… The Carolina Panthers are undefeated. And with the loss of Kelvin Benjamin in the pre-season, the number one receiver in Carolina is… Ted Ginn Jr. Sure, tight end Greg Olsen has been having a phenomenal season, but Cam hasn’t had any other help, and the team stays undefeated. The Panthers have beaten both teams from last year’s NFC Championship, including a comeback win in Seattle. The remainder of the Carolina schedule isn’t very daunting, and there’s a good chance the Panthers lock up the number one seed. If the Panthers stay this dominant, there will be a very competitive argument for Cam winning the award down the road.
Tom Brady
In all likelihood, this is the man that will be accepting the MVP award at the NFL Honors show next February. Despite a tumultuous off-season, Brady and the defending Super Bowl Champion, New England Patriots have looked flawless through 9 weeks of football. Tom Brady is on pace for 5,418 yards, 44 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions, while his Patriots have yet to lose a game. Not only are they still undefeated, but they’re blowing teams out. They currently lead the NFL in largest margin of victory, outscoring teams by an average of almost 17 points per game. A weak schedule, combined with a dynamic offense and a fierce determination make the Patriots look like they’ll be the first team with multiple undefeated seasons.
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