We’ve made it about halfway through the NFL season and boy – has it been a trip or what?
We all thought the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers were set for Super Bowl pushes. The New England Patriots were going to face a huge setback without Tom Brady. The Philadelphia Eagles were going to be the doormat of the NFC East, and DeMarco Murray was out of gas.
Fast forward eight weeks and suddenly, it’s looking like Patriots-Cowboys in the Super Bowl. Cam Newton is an afterthought. The NFC East could field three playoff teams. Crazy, isn’t it?
So, who has made this season so great? Sit down and let your boy Big Natural break it down for you:
10. Melvin Gordon – Don’t look now, but the Chargers running back is leading the league with 10 touchdowns. He’s vastly improved from a disappointing rookie campaign, and has provided a spark on the Chargers offense when Philip Rivers’ load gets too heavy. I’m ready to start giving him looks on lists like this.
9. Dak Prescott – The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC right now, and the rookie quarterback out of Mississippi State is playing at a nearly flawless level. By the way, is it too late for me to change my vote for 2015 SEC MVP from Derrick Henry to Prescott? Look at what the Bulldogs have become without him.
8. Matthew Stafford – Stafford giveth, Stafford taketh away. It seems like he’s always been on the cusp of the elite level quarterbacks, but this year was shaping up to be the best of his career. The problem? Detroit just can’t win consistently. If they can rattle off a few, he’ll undoubtedly be climbing this list.
7. DeMarco Murray – Second in the league in rushing (756 yards), Eight total touchdowns. Folks, it’s time to put the catalyst for the Titans punishing offense in the MVP discussion. Many thought the game plan would split carries between Murray and rookie Derrick Henry, but so far, it’s been all Murray for the two-tone blue.
6. Von Miller – The lone defensive player on my list with apologies to Marcus Peters. Miller is the only linebacker in the NFL who can completely and dominantly take over a game. That Denver defense is elite, and Miller more than deserves MVP consideration as the key cog in that defense.
5. Derek Carr – You know what – after that game in Tampa Bay, the captain of these road warrior Raiders has shown that he belongs in the MVP discussion. Through 2016, Carr looks like the most promising quarterback in the NFL, and he has the Raiders right in the thick of the AFC Championship hunt. With 17 touchdown passes, Carr trails only Matt Ryan and Drew Brees.
4. David Johnson – Johnson is a walking Swiss Army knife. He’s the modern day’s Marshall Faulk, and accounts for the bulk of the Arizona Cardinals offense. Probably the most versatile player in the NFL, the Cards wouldn’t be in the hunt without him.
3. Ezekial Elliot – the rookie running back out of Ohio State is averaging 114.1 rushing yards per game. Behind the best offensive line in football, he is unquestionably the best back in the NFL so far this season.
2. Tom Brady – Yeah, okay – he missed the first four games of the season, but good God – how can you ignore what he’s done since? The Patriots quarterback (and potential G.O.A.T., but that’s just the editor’s opinion) has gone scorched Earth on the NFL. There’s no doubt he wants to make everyone not on the Patriots roster pay for Deflategate.
1. Matt Ryan – Ryan has the second best quarterback rating in the league (2nd only to Brady), but claims the top spot in yardage and touchdowns with 2,636 yards and 19 touchdowns. He’s only thrown four interceptions. But, more important than the stats is level at which he’s developed into a true field general. His Falcons are right in the thick of the NFC Championship picture. The NFL MVP honors are his to lose.
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, Contributor to FanSided’s Bama Hammer, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo, @Bama_Hammer
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