The 2020 NFL regular season is barely 50 percent complete, but we’re monitoring the league’s top MVP candidates. Here’s a look at the 10 players best aligned for MVP runs based on the first nine weeks of the 2020 campaign.
10. New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara: The league leader in scrimmage yards will likely fade from MVP contention now that Drew Brees is on fire and Michael Thomas is back, but he deserves a shoutout for all of the heavy lifting he did when that offense was relying almost entirely on him for much of September and October.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady: The 43-year-old laid a massive egg in a big spot in Week 8, but he still has strong numbers for a 6-3 Bucs team. He can’t be counted out yet.
8. Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook: The league leader in rushing yards and total touchdowns despite having played just seven games. The red-hot 25-year-old is on a borderline record-breaking pace for a team that looks inspired. If he keeps this up and the Vikes sneak into the playoffs, there will be a case to be made.
7. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen: Allen’s ugly four-game stretch between Week 5 and Week 8 really hurt his case, but he’s still a top-10 passer for a first-place team, and he outplayed Russell Wilson head-to-head in Week 9.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger: I don’t know if he’ll hold up, but a guy with 18 touchdown passes to four interceptions for an unbeaten team has to be considered.
5. Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray: The sensational sophomore has a combined 24 passing/rushing touchdowns to seven interceptions, and he’s posted a 112.6 passer rating in his last five starts. His 2020 campaign is reminding me a little of Lamar Jackson’s MVP 2019 season.
4. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees: You have to consider that he’s been dealing with a significantly shorthanded receiving corps all season long, and yet the 41-year-old has a 115.5 passer rating in his last six starts for a first-place team.
3. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers: He’s the league’s highest-rated passer, and his team is in first place. In most years, Rodgers would be running away with this.
2. Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: But we can’t count out Wilson, who was the clear-cut MVP frontrunner for much of September and October and has less support than Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. He leads the NFL with 28 touchdown passes for the first-place Seahawks.
1. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: The Chiefs are 8-1, and the 2018 MVP has thrown 25 touchdown passes to one interception. That’s hard to compete with.
