NFL fans around North America are gearing up for another high-octane playoff series. In the past week, the Cleveland Browns took advantage of a weakening Pittsburgh Steelers squad in the AFC. Meanwhile, the LA Rams managed to dethrone the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC.
Though many are busy speculating which teams will battle it out in Super Bowl LV, scheduled for February 7 in Tampa Bay, there are other pundits eyeing potential recipients of the annual NFL MVP award. Since 1957, a crew of 50 top sports analysts and writers weigh in on the league’s most lethal player.
On February 6th, the NFL will announce its decision—though analysts and pundits already have their pick of two of this year’s strongest players in the league: quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes of the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs respectively.
Aside from a few running backs, the vast majority of NFL MVP awards are handed off to quarterbacks. Last year’s award went to Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, while the 2019 award was the first for one of this year’s favorite, Patrick Mahomes. Top quarterbacks in the league accrue a few MVP titles—up to five, in the case of Peyton Manning.
Top football players like Manning, Tom Brady, Mahomes, and Rodgers are some of the most-followed athletes in the US. From major broadcasting networks to experts creating NFL betting odds, top sports pundits closely monitor these top performers in search of both innovative play and weaknesses.
So far, Mahomes has the winning record and drive associated with other iconic athletes, like the NBA’s Michael Jordan or LeBron James. His stats are, put simply, astounding—and they’ve been like this since his days in college football.
But, on the other hand, Rodgers was recently named as quarterback for the NFL’s first-team All-Pro roster with the support of 46 of the 50 AP voters. Mahomes received only two of those votes—but is it a sure thing that Rodgers is headed for his third NFL MVP award this year? For the two quarterbacks expected to face off in this year’s Super Bowl, the stakes have never been higher.
Mahomes: Impressive Stats
While Rodgers may have swept up well as the first-team All-Pro quarterback, Mahomes isn’t short on support for his second NFL MVP nab. In his corner are hard numbers. Heading into Week 13, the Chiefs were tied for the best record in NFL regular-season history.
At that time, Mahomes also posted the NFL’s best touchdown-to-interception ratio ever record (31-2). His passing yards per game and passer rating were also impressive, leaving the 25-year-old player with enough pass attempts to qualify for the NFL’s all-time career list. Keep in mind, the Texas Tech alum is only in his third season in the NFL.
Still, hard numbers don’t always make for an NFL MVP player. Though Mahomes’ stats are worthy of praise, other quarterbacks have managed to average over 300 yards per game with a passer rating over 110 in a season—and one of those quarterbacks is Aaron Rodgers (in 2010).
Rodgers: Consistency
For various sports publications, there’s already a clear winner for this year’s NFL MVP award: Aaron Rodgers. Despite the fact that the Packers opted to draft top quarterback rookie Jordan Love, Rodgers buckled down this past season to deliver an unforgettable season for Packers fans.
He threw 48 touchdowns for only five interceptions throughout the 2020 regular season, which tied him for the fifth-most touchdowns thrown in a single season in the NFL’s history. His passer rating landed at 121.5 and a pass completion rate of 70%—which was nearly enough to break his own standing record in the NFL with a rating of 122.5 (from 2011).
Not only did Rodgers lead the Packers to a decisive playoff clinch at the top of the NFC North, but he did it all at age 37, during his sixteenth season with the league. And, gauging by NFL records and hard stats alone, Rodgers' list of accolades is longer than Mahomes’.
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