NFL MVP Watch: Week 13
Twelve weeks down, six left to go in the National Football League’s regular season. With the playoffs and the end of the season for some teams right around the corner let’s take a look at who has been the Most Valuable Player in the league.
Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes has been a game changer for the Kansas City Chiefs for years now and continues that trend this year. Through 12 weeks, Mahomes has thrown for 3585 yards, 325.9 yards a game and 29 passing touchdowns which leads the league.
While leading in the majority of the passing stats he has also led the Chiefs to a 9-2 record which is the top of the American Football Conference (AFC). Even after the team traded his main receiver in Tyreek Hill, he continues to produce as an MVP would.
Joe Burrow
It was a rough start to the season for the Cincinnati Bengals and Burrow after losing a close game to a division rival in the Pittsburgh Steelers then losing to the Dallas Cowboys with backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Since then, the Burrow has helped the Bengals turn it around and win seven out of their last nine games.
Burrow threw four interceptions in the home opener of the season, since then he has thrown four throughout ten games. He now has 3,160 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns and has completed 68 percent of his passes while leading the Bengals to a 7-4 record which is tied for first in the AFC North.
Tyreek Hill
The Miami Dolphins may have made the most influential trade of the offseason when they acquired Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs. Hill has become the main weapon in Tua Tagovailoa arsenal of weapons.
Even with being paired with top tier talent in Jaylen Waddle and Mike Gesicki, Hill continues to put up unreal stats. He leads the league in receptions and receiving yards while on pace for 1,900 receiving yards by the end of the season.
Justin Jefferson
Jefferson has been the leading receiver for the Minnesto Vikings ever since he entered the league and it seems like every week he has been putting up a highlight reel. He has been the heart of the offense and has helped the team to a 9-2 record, which is the ebay in the NFC North and the second best in the NFC.
Jefferson has only been held to under 100 yards four times this season, one of those games he was just two yards short of 100 and the other the Vikings would focus on the run game over the passing. In the other two games the Vikings would get blown out by the Eagles and Cowboys with the offense being held to under 300 total yards.
Runner-Ups
It’s hard to not mention Josh Allen but he has thrown the most interceptions in the entire NFL while costing the Buffalo Bills crucial games against divisional opponents. To up his chances at winning the MVP title he will need to limit those mistakes and lead the Bills deep into the playoffs.
It’s hard for a non-quarterback to win the MVP but Josh Jacobs has been incredible in his contract year. Jacobs has rushed for 1,159 yards which leads the league and nine touchdowns which is tied for fifth in the league while trying to revive the Las Vegas Raiders.
The NFC front runners in the Philadelphia Eagles have a dual threat quarterback in Jalen Hurts that has gone from the backup in 2020 to the starting quarterback of a Super Bowl contending team. While Hurts' stats don’t jump off the paper like others do, it’s hard to ignore the impact that he has had on the 10-1 team.
Micheal Bolger is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please contact mpb6233@psu.edu.
