Last week, we noted that the battle for 2017 NFL MVP was now a two-horse race. But in seven days, a third, particularly quick horse has caught up to those two as we enter the home stretch. Momentum is on Russell Wilson’s side, and it could propel him to his first MVP award.
Here’s how we view the race with four weeks remaining in the 2017 NFL season.
1. Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (last week: 6th): The league’s most exciting player has been putting on a stunning one-man show in Seattle, where he has the Seahawks in contention despite an utter lack of support. Nobody is doing more with less than Wilson is, and he’s gaining steam with a 101.2 passer rating and a 5-2 record in his last seven games.
2. Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz (last week: 1st): The second-year North Dakota State product is one strong outing away from leapfrogging Wilson, but a so-so performance in a loss to Wilson’s Seahawks has him in the runner-up spot.
3. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady (last week: 2nd): The league leader in passer rating, yards per attempt and touchdown-to-interception ratio hasn’t lost since Week 4. Don’t be surprised if he ends up winning his first MVP since 2010.
4. Minnesota Vikings QB Case Keenum (last week: 5th): The Vikings have won eight straight games with Keenum at the helm, and in the latter four of those outings the 29-year-old “journeyman” has a 116.7 passer rating and a 74.0 completion rate.
5. New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees (last week: 3rd): The incredible accomplishments of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram will probably prevent Brees from competing for this thing, but he’s still leading a surprise Super Bowl contender into December. In his last six games, Brees is 5-1 with a 109.2 passer rating and a ridiculous 74.3 completion percentage.
.@sammywatkins for 6️⃣!#LAvsAZ pic.twitter.com/1a32Tlp4OR
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 3, 2017
6. Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff (last week: 4th): The Rams are sudden Super Bowl contenders thanks in part to the fact Goff has suddenly become one of the most effective big-play quarterbacks in football. Problem is teammate Todd Gurley has also been exceptionally good, and those two might steal votes from each other.
7. Kansas City Chiefs QB Alex Smith (last week: 7th): Smith is still the league’s second-highest-rated passer and he’s coming off a bounce-back performance against the New York Jets. Problem is the Chiefs lost again and are sliding out of contention.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown (last week: 9th): Fantasy points aren’t a perfect metric, but it’s worth noting that the NFL’s most dominant receiver has more of them than any player in football except Wilson. He leads the league in catches, yards and touchdowns.
