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 8
5. Mike White, Jets QB – Yes, I’m going to write about Mike White in this week’s NFL MVP Watch. One, it’s kind of a light week in the MVP race, as there weren’t a lot of gaudy individual performances, and the ones that happened were in losing efforts. Two, I make the rules in this column anyway, so fuck it. Did Mike White just turn the Jets’ season around? Mike White might’ve just gotten the Jets out of the bottom five. I love it. This dude came out SLINGING against one of the most improved defenses in the league – going 37/45 for 405 yards, three touchdowns, and two picks. And, he caught a two-point conversion on the ol’ Philly Special. His 405 yards led the NFL this week, and I don’t care if he never plays another game, hearing the Jets faithful chanting his name was a ridiculous and awesome moment.
THE CROWD IS CHANTING MIKE WHITE#CINvsNYJ on CBS pic.twitter.com/dXlvjYa5HC
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 31, 2021
4. Najee Harris, Steelers RB – It wasn’t a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination. I heard Buck Reising call it “the Penn State vs. Illinois of the NFL” on 104.5 The Zone here in Nashville last week, and I don’t think I could’ve said it any better myself. But, Harris was the workhorse – turning 26 carries into 91 yards and a touchdown. He’s up to 479 yards and three touchdowns on the season, which isn’t exactly lighting the league on fire, but it’s more about what his presence has meant for this Steelers offense this season. This team had virtually no run game a season ago, and while the offense still isn’t that crisp, they can at least lean on Harris when they need to. On a slow week for the MVP Watch, I elected to give him some love because of that value.
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers QB – If you have an Aaron Rodgers, you have a chance. Maybe there’s no better way to define his value to the Packers than that. In high-pressure clutch moments, Rodgers just shows up, and he did it again on Thursday night against the best team in the NFL at the time. Rodgers was 22/37 for 184 yards and two touchdowns. It wasn’t pretty, but when it mattered most, he started dealing. That’s a reminder of just how much value he adds to his team.
2. Josh Allen, Bills QB – The mark of a good team is getting it done when you’re not playing all that well, and Sunday’s game against the Dolphins was a tale of two halves. Allen got off to a slow start, but after finding his zen, came out in the second half and got things going. He finished 29/42 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, with 55 yards and a score on the ground to boot. The Bills hung 23 on the Dolphins on each of their last four possessions, and ended up winning 26-11.
1. Matthew Stafford, Rams QB – Business as usual for Stafford and that Ferrari of a Rams offense. He looked as crisp and clean as ever on Sunday. We might’ve lost sight of how impressive his 2021 campaign has been in the last few weeks, but he’s still a legitimate MVP candidate. Stafford was 21/32 for 305 yards and three touchdowns against the Texans, bringing his total touchdown mark on the season to 22 (2nd only to Tom Brady). He’s now 2nd in the NFL in passing yards with 2,477. He’s also the highest rated passer with eight games under his belt in the league (118.0).
UPDATED NFL MVP WATCH STANDINGS
17. Davante Adams, CJ Mosley, Jonathan Taylor, Mike White, Russell Wilson – 1
14. Ja’Marr Chase, Najee Harris, Terry McLaurin – 2
12. Joe Burrow, Cooper Kupp – 3
9. Derek Carr, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott – 4
8. Aaron Rodgers – 6
6. Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson – 7
5. Josh Allen – 8
4. Matthew Stafford – 12
3. Kyler Murray – 16
2. Tom Brady – 17
1. Derrick Henry – 18
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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