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 4
5. CJ Mosley, Jets LB – I debated putting a linebacker here. I mean, we all know that a linebacker is most definitely NOT going to win the MVP award. I’m not saying they shouldn’t – I’m just saying that’s how it goes in the NFL. There’s hardly a precedent set for this. But, this is my MVP Watch. Fuck it – I make the rules here, and I say that Mosley deserves mad props for that game against the Titans on Sunday. He was all over the field making tackles (on Derrick Henry, no less), playing with fire, and helping that Jets defensive front absolutely smother Ryan Tannehill. The Jets did as good a job on tackling Henry before he could get to the third level of the defense, and that’s in large part thanks to Mosley setting the tone for the big win. Mosley finished the week leading the NFL in tackles with 13, and registered a sack on the day, too. Salute.
4. Terry McLaurin, Football Team WR – Absolutely love the way McLaurin plays the game, and there’s no better example of true value than what he has meant for this Washington Football Team passing attack. In the win over the Falcons, McLaurin amassed 123 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.
3. Joe Burrow, Bengals QB – Yeah, why not? Let’s go ahead and throw Burrow a bone here too while we’re at it. He had a higher passer rating than any other quarterback in the league (132.8), and he was 3rd in the league in passing yards with 348. Tack on two touchdowns, and you’ve got a prolific game on the books. Sure, it was against the Jags and they were in Cincinnati, but hey – can’t fault the home crowd for chanting ‘MVP’ Burrow’s way after the game. Let’s give the guy his flowers for a strong performance this week.
2. Justin Herbert, Chargers QB – Herbert absolutely showed up in prime time against a quality opponent in the Las Vegas Raiders.
Confirmed: Justin Herbert is good at football pic.twitter.com/WlJaOqHiI4
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 5, 2021
Herbert and that Chargers offense is really starting to come to life. He was in full command of that unit on Monday night, going 25/38 for 222 yards and three touchdowns. There’s a reason an awful lot of folks think this guy is the future of the position.
1. Kyler Murray, Cardinals QB – It feels like a pretty volatile conversation right now as things change week to week – I think you can make strong arguments for Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford as the MVP of the NFL so far. But, if he’s not already, we absolutely have to put Kyler Murray in that conversation too. The dude’s 76.1% completion percentage leads the NFL through four weeks, and he is out the razzling dazzling and flat out electrifying the league. In the massive win over the Rams, Murray went 24/32 for 268 yards and two touchdown passes. He also averaged 6.5 yards per carry (with a total of 39 yards on the ground as well. He already has 12 total touchdowns on the season – folks, that puts him on pace for 51.
UPDATED NFL MVP WATCH STANDINGS
14. CJ Mosley, Russell Wilson – 1
11. Lamar Jackson, Terry McLaurin, Dak Prescott – 2
8. Joe Burrow, Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers – 3
6. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes – 4
4. Derrick Henry, Justin Herbert – 5
3. Matthew Stafford – 7
1. Tom Brady, Kyler Murray – 9
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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