After 12 weeks of the NFL regular season, the MVP race is seemingly a tug-of-war with a number of favorites and a few names that are tossed around here and there. So as we get ready to enter the month of the December, also known as the fourth quarter of the season, who are the five players that are very possible MVP candidates? The order of these players won’t be determined by me but you as the reader can list these guys on your own preference. Let’s take a look:
Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford – 66.8 completion percentage, 2,883 yards, 19 touchdowns, five interceptions: The Lions are in first place in the NFC North at 7-4. This is adefinitely a surprise and their record is pretty predicated off the play of their franchise quarterback. Stafford is 12th in the NFL in passing yards and 12th in touchdowns. With a team that is in the middle of the pack in a lot of aspects of the game, it actually shows the value of a skilled passer such as Stafford.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan – 68.9 completion percentage, 3,516 yards, 26 touchdowns, six interceptions: While the Falcons are staying true to their identity as a high-flying, high-scoring team, the play of Ryan stands out this season, especially after a roller coaster 2015 season. Ryan has already topped his touchdown total from last season and remains only six away from his career-high of 32, while also coming in second in passer rating with 114.3. Behind Ryan, the Falcons are third in total offense, third in passing, and first in scoring.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott – 1,119 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, 4.9 yards per carry: Elliott has been exactly what the Cowboys wanted as the fourth overall pick in the 2016 Draft. Elliott leads the league in rushing yards and currently is on a nine game streak of totaling 90 or more rushing yards as well as six rushing touchdowns in the past four games. Just to add a little more spice to his resume, Elliott leads the league in runs of ten yards or more with 35. At this point, Elliott is also the leader in the Rookie of the Year award.
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr – 66.4 completion percentage, 3,115 yards, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions: The Oakland Raiders are sitting as the #2 seed in the AFC. What has been impressive this season is the way Carr has guided the productive Raiders offense. Carr is fourth in the league on passes of 25 yards or more, fifth in the league in passing yards. Care has made an impressive effort to cut down on interceptions after hitting double digits in his first two seasons.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott – 67.9 completion percentage, 2,835 yards, 18 touchdowns, two interceptions: Prescott will have to contend with Elliott for the MVP race but the rookie quarterback has been overly impressive this season. The fourth-round draft pick has started every game and has been very instrumental in the Cowboys 10-game winning streak and has topped 103.8 QB rating in nine of those 10 wins. Not bad for a quarterback who was fairly raw as a prospect coming out of college.
