Welcome in to the 2020 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 2020 SoBros Network NFL MVP “honors.”
2020 NFL MVP WATCH: WEEK 5
5. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins QB – Who was the highest rated passer of the week? That’s right – it’s 2020, and Fitzpatrick still has a little bit of that FitzMagic in him. He went 22/28 for 350 yards, three touchdowns, and a 154.5 passer rating as the Dolphins routed the injury-riddled 49ers 43-17.
4. Aaron Donald, Rams DL – Aaron Donald out there doing Aaron Donald things against the Washington Football Team. Four tackles, ALL of which happened to be sacks, and a forced fumble. He continues to be a dominant, disruptive force along that Rams defensive line.
3. Derek Carr, Raiders QB – Props to Carr, Jon Gruden, and the Raiders for aggressively attacking the Chiefs on offense and handing them their first loss as a result. Big, big win for that franchise, and an all-star performance from Carr, who went 22/31 for 347 yards and three touchdowns (with a pick in there too). Is it enough to at least subdue the Carr hate for a little bit? The Raiders could make the AFC West interesting.
2. Ryan Tannehill, Titans QB – It’s time we make it official: Ryan Tannehill is a legitimate NFL MVP candidate. Wait, what? I thought y’all said his 2019 level of play wasn’t sustainable?!?! Give this man some respect – against the 4-0 Bills that looked like maybe the best team in the NFL prior to last night, Tannehill went 21/28 for 195 yards and three touchdowns, with 42 yards and a score on the ground. This man has found his forever home in Nashville with Art Smith, and the Titans have a top five offense in the league because of it.
1. Russell Wilson, Seahawks QB – The man can do it all. He was the MVP front-runner heading into the week, and all he did was go out and orchestrate a game-winning drive with a clutch touchdown to remain perfect and get the Seahawks to 5-0. Sure, DK Metcalf deserves credit as one of 2020’s top receivers out there making plays. But, Wilson’s THE GUY.
Against the Vikings, he was 20/32 for 217 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. He’s second on the season in passing yards with 1,502. He’s leading the league in passer rating with 129.8, and he’s leading the league in touchdown passes with 19. I’m going all in on the Russell Wilson MVP Train at this point.
UPDATED NFL MVP WATCH POINTS STANDINGS
11. Tom Brady, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jared Goff – 1
8. Aaron Donald, Aaron Jones, Kyler Murray – 2
6. Derek Carr, Lamar Jackson – 3
5. Patrick Mahomes – 4
4. Aaron Rodgers – 6
3. Josh Allen – 7
2. Ryan Tannehill – 8
1. Russell Wilson – 19
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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