Who Should Win MVP?

By Andy Davies

The Most Valuable Player (MVP) award is one of the greatest honours an NFL player can receive. Won by Tom Brady three times, four times by Aaron Rodgers and five times by Peyton Manning, it recognises the best of the best.

Despite only one MVP winner since Kurt Warner in 1999 going on to win the Super Bowl in the same season, it is still a highly acclaimed award to win. It is only topped by the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, as well as the Super Bowl MVP award.

Here are the five biggest contenders for this season’s edition of the awards.

Jared Goff (Quarterback – Detroit Lions)

The Detroit Lions are having a season for the ages. On Thursday, they earned their first win on Thanksgiving after they narrowly beat the Chicago Bears, aided by some poor clock management from head coach Matt Eberflus. This now moves them to 11-1, representing their best start to a season in the franchise’s entire 94-year history.

Jared Goff has been a big part of that. The offensive line has been a massive aid, with tackle Penei Sewell arguably the MVP if it was not for the unglamorous nature of his position.

Running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have been excellent and Amon-Ra St. Brown has had another brilliant year, made possible by Goff’s accuracy.

Goff went five games and over 100 passing attempts without an interception. If you take away his struggles against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football in Week 10, where he threw five interceptions, he has only had four picks all season.

The stats of other quarterbacks may hinder Goff’s chances of winning the MVP award, but with the feel-good story of the Lions this season and the fact they have only lost one game this season, this may get the 2016 first overall pick some votes.

Josh Allen (Quarterback – Buffalo Bills)

The Buffalo Bills are currently 10-2 and stand as the second seed in the AFC. This includes being the first team to beat the Kansas City Chiefs since Christmas Day last season. Josh Allen was a key part of the win, with a bruising rushing touchdown to seal the win.

Along with 2,691 passing yards and 20 total touchdowns, Allen has just five interceptions this season with his first only coming in late October. He seems to be changing the narrative that he is an error prone quarterback. He is the entire Bills offense and defines the term ‘Most Valuable Player’.

With the 11-1 Kansas City Chiefs being far from convincing and the Baltimore Ravens defense struggling against the pass, this could finally be time for Allen and the Bills to reach the Super Bowl, and their QB1 faces a really good chance of winning an MVP.

Lamar Jackson (Quarterback – Baltimore Ravens)

Third favourite for the award and as the reigning MVP, it has been quite the 18 months for Lamar Jackson. They should have made the Super Bowl last year and he excelled in a lot of big games. However, they lost the game that mattered and this will be on their minds as they look to avenge those demons.

Lamar has been on a tear this season, currently ranking second the league in passing yards and touchdowns, with just three interceptions. He has looked the best he ever has in the passing game. This was defined by their first win out of two against the Cincinnati Bengals, where he found tight end Isaiah Likely whilst throwing across his body, after stiff arming a defender.

The Ravens may not be the AFC number one seed as they were twelve months ago, but Lamar is playing at an elite level and has the stats to back it up.

Patrick Mahomes (Quarterback – Kansas City Chiefs)

Crazily, Patrick Mahomes has the fifth best odds, despite his worst season as a starter.

Despite throwing for 19^th touchdowns and 11 interceptions, the third most in the NFL this season, he has been one of the best quarterbacks on third downs this season.

He ranks second in the league, with a third down quarterback rating of 122.1. The Chiefs are still 11-1 and this goes a long way in the voters’ eyes. Viewed as the best quarterback in the league, this may count for something. Mahomes is the dark horse for the award, but he still has the potential to put up MVP numbers and guide the team to a 16-1 record, which would boost his chances.

Saquon Barkley (Running back – Philadelphia Eagles)

The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Saquon Barkley during the offseason after a deal could not be reached between him and the New York Giants. The 2012 season was the last time a non-quarterback won the MVP award, Adrian Peterson receiving the honours. Barkley has a real chance of ending this drought.

With 1,499 rushing yards, Barkley leads the league in this category. Only Derrick Henry (13) and teammate Jalen Hurts (12) has more rushing touchdowns than Saquon (11).

Whilst Henry has been a key part to the Ravens offense, Lamar Jackson has also been just as integral a cog in the wheel. However, with quarterback Jalen Hurts 20th in passing yards (2,494) and tied for 16th for passing touchdowns (14), Barkley has been a far more integral part of the Eagles offense.

Whilst Hurts has 12 rushing touchdowns, he has a total of 40.4 yards per game. Meanwhile, Barkley has 124.9, the most in the entire NFL this season.

Whether it has been the backwards hurdle against the Jacksonville Jaguars or his 302-yard game against the Los Angeles Rams, he has not been short of highlight plays. His 255 rushing yards against the Rams is the ninth highest total of any game in history.

Who our writers would vote for…

Simon Carroll

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: “Deemed surplus to requirements by the Rams and used as a makeweight in the Matthew Stafford trade, Goff has had a season for the ages in the Motor City. He epitomises the blue-collar nature of the Lions, is the undisputed leader of the team, and has been setting incredible completion records along the way. Oh – and he’s led Detroit to an 11-1 record. He gets my vote.”

Lee Wakefield

Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions: “Obviously a lineman is never going to win the actual MVP award but if we take “Most Valuable Player” at its literal meaning, Sewell should be in with a shout. He’s ascended to become one of the best offensive linemen in the league, he doesn’t allow sacks, he barely allows pressures and he personifies what this Lions squad is all about. The heartbeat of (probably) the best team in the league.”

Rory-Jo Daniels

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions: “What a career turnaround, Goff benefits from a great offensive play caller but he has been on point all year.”

Tyler Arthur

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: “Josh Allen is my pick for MVP and no that’s not just because he’s now engaged to Hailee Steinfeld. He’s absolutely balling out this season, leading a new-look, Diggs-less Bills offense and doing so without much fanfare. He’s on pace for just shy of 4000 yards and 30 TD’s, and it doesn’t hurt that last night he comfortably beat the 49ers in a snow game while becoming the first QB in history to have a passing TD, receiving TD and rushing TD in a game.”

George Somerville

Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders: “There is no doubt that much of Georgia’s offensive woes this season is down to the absence of Brock Bowers. But UGA’s loss is the Las Vegas Raiders gain. Rarely has a rookie had such an impact on one team but Bowers debut season for the Black & Silver has been nothing short of fantastic. Bowers has been breaking records all season and last weekend’s 13 catches for 126 yards was a new record for a rookie tight end. With seven games remaining the Californian born rookie is set to break the record for most catches in a single rookie season. I’m sure there are many more established players to take this seasons MVP crown but in a difficult season for the Raiders, Bowers has kept Las Vegas fans faith there are better days to come.”

Jack Brentnall

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: “It feels crazy to say a guy who already has a pair of MVP trophies is playing the best football of his career, but with Jackson it is the truth. He’s always been a dynamic dual threat, but this season he has been at the heart of the league’s most devastating passing game too.”

Andy Davies

Finally, I would go for Josh Allen. Whilst I would love to give Saquon the award, Allen is the single heartbeat of the Bills team, defining the term “Most Valuable Player”.

The Talent Is There

ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, DOUG PEDERSON, DERRICK HENRY, TREVOR LAWRENCE AND MIKE VRABEL