The NFL regular season has drawn to a close after 18 weeks of non-stop action which means we’re almost ready to crown our award winners – but who is going to win the most prized possession of all, Most Valuable Player (MVP)?
Who Is Going To Win NFL MVP?
Favorite: QB Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens, 13-4)
Lamar Jackson is the MVP frontrunner for good reason and if he isn’t named a two-time winner of this award in Las Vegas after the Super Bowl next month, something will have gone wrong.
The 27-year-old became the highest paid player in the NFL at the time of signing his five-year, $260m contract before the beginning of the season and has gone on to repay every last penny.
He finished the campaign, where he led the team to a league-best record of 13-3 before being rested in the final week, with a 67.2% completion rate, 4,499 total yards and 31 total touchdowns.
Jackson is undoubtedly one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks that the league has seen to date and he deservedly leads the MVP race where he should steamroll to victory.
Strong Candidate: QB Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys, 12-5)
Dak Prescott will likely go home empty handed but not disgraced after a phenomenal campaign for the veteran signal caller, becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to lead the NFL in touchdown passes in a single season.
He finished with 4,516 passing yards, 39 total touchdowns and just nine interceptions alongside recording a 105.9 passer rating – completing at a 69.5% clip.
Prescott has been the best deep-ball thrower in the league and earned his place on the MVP ladder following an impressive year, where he’ll aim to deliver a first championship for the Cowboys since 1996.
Strong Candidate: QB Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills, 11-6)
Josh Allen was named alongside Jackson as the PFF All-Pro quarterbacks this year after steering the ship back in the right direction when it looked like all hope was lost.
Buffalo beat the Miami Dolphins to win the AFC East and claim the No. 2 seed on the final week to claim their fourth straight division title and set up a Wild Card clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Entering their Week 13 bye the Bills were 6-6 but after bouncing back with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs next time out, they won five straight games including a win over the Cowboys.
This year, Allen led the league in total yards and touchdowns, scored 86% of Bills touchdowns, had the best record vs playoff teams (5-1), recorded the best PFF grade vs playoff teams, ranked third in PFF passing grade, 4th in PFF QB rushing grade and was the least sacked quarterback.
Strong Candidate: QB Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers, 12-5)
Brock Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers to the No. 1 seed in the NFC whilst finishing in top spot for QBR, becoming the first franchise quarterback to be selected to the Pro Bowl in over two decades.
He finished third in passing touchdowns with 31 and recorded the most passing yards in a 49ers season ever (4,280). If it wasn’t for a disastrous collapse against the Ravens on Christmas Day, he’d probably be the favorite.
Purdy tallied the highest passing yards per attempt (9.6) with at least 400 attempts in a single season, beating the likes of Matt Ryan (9.3), Aaron Rodgers (9.25) and Peyton Manning (9.17).
He earned a salary of $870,000 during the year which might make him technically the most valuable player in the league.
Weak Candidate: RB Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco 49ers, 12-5)
Whilst not many will argue with the suggestion that Christian McCaffrey is indeed the best player in San Francisco, his likelihood of winning an MVP is diminished simply due to the position he plays in.
In the 21st century there have been just four non-quarterback MVPs, with the last being Adrian Peterson over a decade ago. McCaffrey will feel he deserves to be in the hat after a stunning season.
He won’t be going home empty handed from the NFL Honors show anyways, as he’s the overwhelming favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year.
In 16 games, he tallied a league-best 1,459 rushing yards, a league-best 5.4 yards per carry, a second-best 14 rushing touchdowns as well as 564 receiving yards.
He was the only player with 35+ catches not to drop the ball this year.
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