New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was supposed to miss the first four games of the season, but instead has led the Patriots to a 6-0 record while posting one of his best seasons to date. Other players have gotten a lot of MVP hype through the first seven weeks of the season, but there's no doubt who the front-runner is. Here are three reasons why Brady will win the MVP award this season:
3) Potentially historic season
It's still early, but Brady could realistically break the NFL single-season records for passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and passer rating. Barring injury, Brady will undoubtly be at least close to breaking all of those records, which should put him way out in front of the other MVP contenders in those important categories.
2) Best player on the best team in the league
Want a way to measure value? Brady is best player on the Patriots (though tight end Rob Gronkowski might have something to say about that), and he's the engine that drives their offense, which is the best in the league. Being the unquestioned leader of the best team in the NFL has to count for something, whether his critics like it or not.
1) NFL's best passer
In a league that's become more and more about quarterback play, no one has done it as well as Brady this year. He's completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 2,054 yards (2nd in the NFL), 16 touchdowns (NFL best), and just one interception (lowest in NFL) - which was a pass that was dropped by Julian Edelman. If he continues to produce at this rate, it's going to be hard to keep Brady off the podium.