The 2018 NFL regular season is now more than 50 percent complete, which means it’s no longer too early to gauge the MVP race with a straight face. Entering Week 10, here’s a look at the top six candidates in the race for the most illustrious individual award in professional football.
1. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees (last week: 3): They’re really jockeying back and forth right now, but there’s no denying that Brees outperformed last week’s leader, Todd Gurley, Sunday in New Orleans. The league’s highest-rated passer has completed a ridiculous 76.3 percent of his passes.
2. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (last week: 2): The sophomore leads the league in passing yardage and passing touchdowns and the 8-1 Chiefs have the highest-scoring offense in the NFL.
3. Los Angeles Rams RB Todd Gurley (last week: 1): Even after playing a limited role against the Saints, Gurley leads the NFL with 1,230 scrimmage yards and 16 touchdowns as part of an 8-1 team.
4. Los Angeles Chargers QB Philip Rivers (last week: 4): The 36-year-old has 19 touchdown passes to just three interceptions and he’s yet to put together a bad game this season. He’s posted a triple-digit passer rating in seven of eight games for a 6-2 Bolts squad.
5. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan (last week: NR): He’s got similar numbers to Rivers, but the Falcons are just 4-4.
6. Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff (last week: 8): Gurley’s getting all the attention, but Goff was actually exceptional against the Saints. He’s the league’s sixth-highest-rated passer, and his 9.6 yards-per-attempt average ranks second to only Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Fringe candidates: Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson, Rams DT Aaron Donald, New England Patriots QB Tom Brady
