NFL MVP rankings: Wilson has no margin for error
Nine weeks of the 2020 NFL campaign are in the books, and the Most Valuable Player award debate is heating up.
Quarterbacks continue to dominate the list, but multiple running backs have bolstered their case entering the second half of the schedule.
5. Derrick Henry
The 6-2 Tennessee Titans might not even be .500 if they had any other running back. The team's system is made for the power back, and it plays its best football when Henry is running well. There may not be another franchise that depends more on the success of a single player.
Tennessee is 13-1 during the regular season when Henry runs for at least 100 yards, with the only loss coming to the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago. He leads the league in touches and is second in rushing yards through the first nine weeks.
Henry is undisputedly the main reason the Titans - whose defense has been relatively underwhelming in 2020 - sit first in the AFC South. Opposing teams know Tennessee will give the ball to Henry, but there's little they can do to stop the 6-foot-3, 247-pounder.
4. Alvin Kamara
The New Orleans Saints' defense has regressed, wide receiver Michael Thomas barely played during the first half of the season, and Drew Brees is steadily declining at the age of 41. Yet, the team is 6-2 and in the driver's seat for the top seed in the NFC.
It's hard to imagine the Saints being in this position without Kamara, who's the driving force behind Sean Payton's offense. The do-it-all back leads the NFL with 1,036 scrimmage yards, and he's flirting with becoming just the fourth player ever to record 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same campaign. The three-time Pro Bowler has also already scored eight times in 2020.
New Orleans is allowing 25 points per game (14th-ranked defense in the NFL) even after its impressive showing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but its offense - the league's fourth-best scoring unit - compensates for those struggles with over 30 points per contest.
3. Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes has been magnificent this season, and his jaw-dropping numbers are diminished only by his already-unprecedented NFL resume. The bar is simply sky-high for Mahomes.
The reigning Super Bowl MVP and 2018 regular-season MVP has 25 passing touchdowns to just one interception - a pick in only 0.3% of his attempts - for the best ratio among starting quarterbacks.
It's worth noting, however, that Kansas City's offense hasn't fired on all cylinders in every game this season, as there have been weeks when the defense carried the team to relatively unimpressive wins. And though that may seem minor, it's a necessary distinction when trying to separate the MVP front-runners.
2. Aaron Rodgers
Many wrote off Rodgers as an MVP candidate at this stage in his career, but the star signal-caller is having one of his best campaigns. The veteran is keeping the Green Bay Packers among the NFC's top teams despite an unimpressive defense and injuries to his supporting cast.
After tossing 25 and 26 touchdowns in 2018 and 2019, respectively, Rodgers already has 24, the third-most in the NFL, and he leads the league with a 117.5 passer rating. The latter is in line with those of his previous MVP seasons.
| Year | Record | Comp. % | Yds per game | TD | INT | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14-1 | 68.3 | 309.5 | 45 | 6 | 122.5 |
| 2014 | 12-4 | 65.6 | 273.8 | 38 | 5 | 112.2 |
| 2020 (8 games) | 6-2 | 67.5 | 281.6 | 24 | 2 | 117.5 |
Even with Rodgers' awful performance against the Buccaneers in Week 6, he still has the second-fewest turnovers among starting quarterbacks, trailing only Mahomes.
Rodgers has been phenomenal, but one other player has simply been more impressive.
1. Russell Wilson
The Seattle Seahawks have transitioned from defensive stalwarts to high-flying offensive juggernauts, and it's possible only because of Wilson.
Opposing quarterbacks are on pace to finish the season with a combined 5,960 passing yards against Seattle, which would be the most in NFL history. Six of the seven clubs with this year's worst scoring defenses have a losing record. The lone other team is Wilson's 6-2 Seahawks, who sit in first in the NFC West.
His 28 touchdowns put him on pace to break Peyton Manning's all-time single-season record of 55. The only three quarterbacks to ever toss at least 50 scores in a year all took home the MVP award during those campaigns.
The Seahawks own the league's highest-scoring offensive unit and have scored a touchdown in 86.2% of their red-zone opportunities, including a perfect rate at home.
Wilson has thrown more interceptions (eight) than Rodgers (two) and Mahomes (one) and turned the ball over seven times in the last three games, but no player has carried his team on his back quite like the Seahawks quarterback has.
Honorable mention
Josh Allen: After putting up MVP-caliber performances over the first month of the season, Allen has been inconsistent. But the Buffalo Bills quarterback, who's coming off an impressive signature win over the Seahawks, remains the most valuable player on one of football's most competitive teams.
Aaron Donald: Donald may be the league's best player, and his importance to the Los Angeles Rams is constantly on full display. The future Hall of Famer leads the NFL with nine sacks and is one of the Defensive Player of the Year front-runners.
Dalvin Cook: Cook leads the NFL in rushing yards, touchdowns, and first downs despite playing in just seven games. Many believed the Minnesota Vikings would collapse after a rough start to the campaign, but the running back's incredible recent performances - 478 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in the last two games - have the team dreaming of a possible playoff push.