Four MVP Candidates Emerge in NFL Week Three
The third week of NFL action solidified the narratives that had been forming through the first two weekends of excitement; rookie quarterbacks are struggling, a couple of divisions might produce four playoff teams, and there are four clear candidates for this year’s MVP award.
Plenty of attention has been diverted to the shortcomings of first-round picks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Mac Jones already, and it was already known that the NFC West and AFC West would be two of the tougher divisions in football; what was not known, however, was that through week three, the MVP front-runner would be Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback, Derek Carr.
As of September 27, Derek Carr is a +2500 candidate to win the MVP award, although he has a stronger case than anyone else.
Carr leads the league with 1,203 passing yards (over 400 per game), has thrown six touchdowns to two interceptions, and has his team poised atop the division— one that includes back-to-back AFC representatives in the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs with a 3-0 record.
Carr’s hot start is even more impressive considering the quality of his wins: versus the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night football, at the Pittsburgh Steelers, and versus the Miami Dolphins.
The eighth-year Raider has never been adored by his Head Coach, Jon Gruden, but he has drawn even his praise with his blazing-hot start.
Matthew Stafford is next on the list in a West-Coast flavored MVP list, also sitting at 3-0 in his first season as a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Stafford has tossed 942 yards (fifth), nine touchdowns (tied for second), and one interception in his first three games.
LA is only a few years removed from a Super Bowl appearance but had been operating under a limited playbook with Jared Goff, and Stafford’s arrival has made them even more deadly of a foe.
Kyler Murray is next in the MVP race with 1,075 yards and 10 total touchdowns to four interceptions for another 3-0 team.
The third-year QB announced himself as a top-tier QB with a five-touchdown demolition of the Tennessee Titans in week one and has continued his torrid pace through three weeks; injury struggles caught up to him in the back half of the last season, but if he remains healthy, all signs point to Murray being in the thick of the MVP conversation for the entire season.
The final of four MVP candidates is an old favorite: Tom Brady. The ageless wonder has thrown for 1,087 yards (second), a league-high 10 touchdowns, and two interceptions that were down to receiver errors.
At 44, Brady is still playing a brand of ball that is arguably better than anyone else in the league for a defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers team.
Murray is the odds-on favorite to win the award this season, while Stafford and Brady are close behind at +800 and +1000. Carr’s +2500 odds make him the most unlikely, although the most valuable pick in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
The season is still young, and there are 14 games to go. Still, these four players have clearly stepped up as competitors for the most highly coveted individual achievement in professional football.
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