NFL: Four Players who are Currently in the Running to be Named Regular Season MVP
We are just over one month into the 2021 NFL season, but it has been a thrilling start to the campaign and the divisions are beginning to take shape with it becoming clearer which franchises are in with a shot of making it to the play-offs or even all the way to the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles for Super Bowl LVI.
Of course, certain players are already starting to throw their name in the ring for the regular season MVP award as their impressive performances carry their sides to crucial victories. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at four of the players currently leading the way in the race for to be crowned regular season MVP. Read on to find out more.
Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
Slight outsiders with betting sites like Betdaq to win the Super Bowl before this season got underway, the Buffalo Bills have surprised many with a record of 4-2 and are now the favourites to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy at Super Bowl LVI at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Quarterback Josh Allen has made the Bills tick, throwing 1,723 yards and making 15 touchdowns passes in his six matches thus far. Not many QBs can outshine Patrick Mahomes, but in the Bills’ victory over the Chiefs on gameweek 5, Allen did just that — scoring a touchdown, rushing 62 yards, throwing 315 yards and completing three touchdown passes. More performances like that from the 25-year-old and there will be no contest for the regular season MVP.
Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals
The only team with an unblemished record after gameweek 6, the Arizona Cardinals can thank Kyler Murray for much of their fine form in the early part of this season — which has actually been their best start to a campaign since they won the Super Bowl in 1974. The 24-year-old became just the third player in NFL history to throw more than 1,500 yards with a 75% completion rate in the first five games of the season. The Cardinals didn’t look as convincing in their 17-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers in gameweek 5, but they bounced back well with a 37-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, with Murray throwing an impressive four touchdowns to take his regular season tally to 14.
Justin Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers
Offensive Rookie of the Year in his first season with the Chargers last year, Justin Herbert was carrying a lot of expectation on his shoulders into this campaign, but thus far he is delivering. Like Murray, he threw a massive 1,576 yards in the first five games of the season, but his completion rate (65.4%) could do with some improvements. That said, it is up slightly from his rookie year last season, and he has made 14 successful touchdown passes so far — which is more or less on par with his more experienced counterparts on this list. The Chargers were heavily beaten by the Baltimore Ravens in gameweek 6, with Herbert covering just 195 yards and throwing one touchdown pass. It will be interesting to see if the 23-year-old can bounce back from this and get the Chargers back on track, because if he can then he will certainly be in with a chance of being named MVP.
Tom Brady – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Of course, Tom Brady was going to feature on this list. He may now be 44 years of age, but he is still one of the best quarterbacks in the business and he isn’t here on merit or for prior achievements. He has thrown over a mammoth 2,064 yards already this season, completing a huge 17 touchdown passes, including five scoring throws in the games against the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons. With seven Super Bowl rings and a wealth of other achievements, Brady is still setting personal records. Against the Dolphins, he threw more than 400 yards and made five touchdown passes for the first time in his career. At this rate, the former New England Patriot is well on course to become the first QB to throw over 6,000 yards in a single season!