Welcome in to the 2021 NFL MVP Watch, where I will be taking a look around the landscape of the MVP race in the NFL this season. This is pretty much the same thing as my Heisman Watch, sooooo…like, do I want to spend a lot of time on an intro?
Shit, I guess I will for the uninitiated – each week, I will count down the five most MVP-worthy performances of the week and offer up my reasoning for each ranking. You finish first, you get five points. Second is four, so on and so forth. I will keep the season point totals going at the bottom of the article and at the end of the season, whoever has the most points gets the 2021 SoBros Network NFL MVP “honors.”
2021 NFL MVP WATCH: WEEK 5
5. Davante Adams, Packers WR – Adams is back on top of the NFL in receiving yards with 579 on the season, and while Aaron Rodgers (rightfully) gets a ton of praise for his work in this Packers offense, you saw just how valuable a presence like Adams can be on Sunday. Adams caught 11 passes and turned it into a whopping 206 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Packers outlasted the Bengals 25-22 in overtime.
4. Justin Herbert, Chargers QB – The Los Angeles Chargers are putting a ton of trust into Herbert, and he is taking off. I don’t know if you can call it a breakout year after he had a ‘Rookie of the Year’ debut, but this dude just keeps getting better and better, and now he finds himself square in the MVP race. Herbert went 26/43 for 398 yards and four touchdowns, with 29 rushing yards and rushing score, in a 47-42 win over the Cleveland Browns in a game that was pure crack.
3. Tom Brady, Bucs QB – Nobody (outside of Tampa Bay) wants Tom Brady to be the MVP of the NFL in the year 2021, but I’m afraid Brady is the MVP of the NFL so far this season. All he keeps doing is padding his stats. I mean, yeah – going up against a bad Dolphins team helps, but this is still the NFL. Brady went 30/41 for 411 yards and FIVE touchdowns on Sunday, with a 144.4 passer rating that led the NFL this week.
2. Derrick Henry, Titans RB – I know, I know – the MVP is a quarterback award, and I’m pretty much shouting into a void by mentioning Derrick Henry in this column every week. But, he absolutely deserves it. What this grown ass man is doing is unprecedented in NFL history. And, if we’re talking ‘value,’ just ask 31 other teams if they’d like a guy like this in their backfield and see what they say. Henry tacked on another 130 yards and three rushing touchdowns against Jacksonville on Sunday, bringing his total on the season to an NFL-leading 640. Somebody who can actually make a difference in the conversation, PLEASE start talking about this man as a legit MVP candidate.
There’s a reason they call him King Henry
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 11, 2021
(h/t @FieldYates, @EliasSports) pic.twitter.com/5AmmdnXonI
1. Lamar Jackson, Ravens QB – Jackson just might’ve had his most impressive game to date on Monday Night Football last night. Sure, he set a career high in passing yards with 442 (and four passing touchdowns), but it was the way he never gave up, down 25-9 in the 4th quarter, that really shows his value to this Baltimore Ravens team. They had been getting their asses kicked for three quarters when this team, with Jackson at the helm, kicked it into another gear. It didn’t seem like there was ever a doubt in that 4th quarter that this Ravens team was going to win it. He also had 62 rushing yards, meaning his total offensive yardage for the night was 504. Absurd.
.@Lj_era8 called GAME!!!
— Louisville Football (@UofLFootball) October 12, 2021
: #INDvsBAL on ESPN#GoCards x #ProCards pic.twitter.com/8K5rmZ9wBS
Incredible night from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Let’s look at three throws.
— Mark Schofield (@MarkSchofield) October 12, 2021
*Masterful with the eyes
*Eye candy and hole shots
*The deep shot to Brown
*Working progressions and climbing pockets in a big spot pic.twitter.com/W86XtrUsdO
UPDATED NFL MVP WATCH STANDINGS
14. Davante Adams, CJ Mosley, Russell Wilson – 1
12. Terry McLaurin, Dak Prescott – 2
9. Joe Burrow, Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers – 3
7. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes – 4
4. Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Matthew Stafford – 7
2. Derrick Henry, Kyler Murray – 9
1. Tom Brady – 12
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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