Top Five NFL MVP Candidates After Week 4

“Goff with the Rams during 2016 training camp” by Praveer Sharma is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Four weeks of the NFL season have already gone by. That means we’re already a quarter of the way done with the regular season! Time flies when you’re having fun! Who have been the best performers in the NFL at the quarter mark? Let’s see who makes the MVP list this week.

 

1. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Last night’s game against the Denver Broncos was really the first time we’ve seen Patrick Mahomes be tested. Mahomes wasn’t throwing TDs left and right as we saw him do through the first three weeks. What we did see him do was play his best football when the game was on the line. Kansas City was down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, and that’s when Mahomes stepped up. Mahomes led the Chiefs to two scoring drives, both for TDs, to give them the lead. That’s what an MVP does.

Mahomes scored two total TDs (1 passing and 1 rushing), so it wasn’t the normal statistical output we’ve seen, but he did something more important than getting stats. He won the game.

2. QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees didn’t have a great game against the Giants this past week. He only completed 56% of his passes for 217 yards. He didn’t have any TD’s. So why is he still number two on the list? One of the main reasons why Brees is still ranked number two is because of who’s behind him. I have players moving up the list, but they either weren’t on the list before this week or didn’t do enough to surpass Brees yet. You’ll see when we get there.

Brees didn’t play great, but he wasn’t bad either. He didn’t turn the ball over and he stuck with the game plan. He didn’t have to do as much as he normally does. The Saints are now 3-1 and have won three straight games. Brees still has yet to throw an INT this season. He’s one of two starting QBs who have yet to do so. The other is Patrick Mahomes.

3. QB Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams

Jared Goff went from not on the list, to third on my list this week. Goff had a career day against the Vikings on Thursday night, throwing 5 TD passes! He also threw for 465 yards and had a perfect QB rating of 158.3. He only missed seven passes the entire game. Goff got on this list because of his big performance, but also because he showed us that the Rams are so much more than Todd Gurley.

Goff currently sits 3rd among QBs who have started the entire season in completion percentage (72.4%). He’s second in passing yards, tied for second in TD passes and first in QB rating. Yeah, his numbers from this past game helped those rankings a little, but Goff was still having a great year before then. With those numbers and rankings among QBs, I couldn’t leave the QB who leads one of two undefeated teams in the NFL off the list.

4. RB Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams

Todd Gurley stays in the same spot for me this week. Gurley isn’t putting up huge numbers every week, but he’s still having good performances. Against the Vikings he ran for 83 yards. He added 73 more yards and a TD in the passing game. Gurley is the second leading rusher in the NFL right now with 338 rushing yards. He has the second most rushing TDs, and he also has the second most receiving TDs among RBs.

Gurley has yet to go a game this season without a score, making him a constant threat to any defense. Gurley finds way to produce no matter what. He’s also the best player and the guy who gets the most attention on the best team in the NFL.

5. RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Two Rams and Saints on the MVP list? Yep! Alvin Kamara continues to be one of the best players in the NFL this season. Much like Gurley, Kamara finds ways to produce in every game. This past week was Kamara’s first game rushing for over 100 yards, but he’s had two games with over 100 yards receiving. Kamara hasn’t scored in every game, but he does have 6 total TDs on the season.

Against the Giants, Kamara ran for 3 TDs, which is part of the reason why Drew Brees didn’t have to do much. Here’s what has impressed me most about Alvin Kamara: He’s 15th in the league in receiving yards. Kamara has more receiving yards than Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Stefon Diggs, A.J. Green, T.Y. Hilton, Antonio Brown and several other top receivers. Kamara’s been getting it done for the Saints in multiple ways all season long.

 

Who’s Off the List?

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You’re not allowed to stay on the MVP list when you get replaced by another QB. Fitzpatrick didn’t perform well against the Chicago Bears, which led to Jameis Winston entering the game. Winston wasn’t much better than Fitzpatrick, if better at all, but he’s now been named the starting QB for the Buccaneers when they return from their bye week. Fitzpatrick had a good run on this list, but sadly it’s over.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers continues to fall in my MVP rankings, but I don’t doubt he’ll make a comeback. He always does. Aside from his performance against the Bears in Week 1, Rodgers hasn’t looked great to me. He’s still been good, but not the typical Aaron Rodgers we’re used to seeing. His injury may have something to do with that.

This past week against the Bills, Rodgers only completed 55% of his passes. He threw for 298 yards and a TD, but he also had an INT. His QB rating was 76.9. He’s off the list for me right now, but he’s always going to be someone we have to keep an eye on.

 

Do you agree with our list? If not, who do you think deserves more MVP consideration? Let us know who you’ve got for MVP through four weeks by leaving a comment below!