BRADY TAKES LEAD IN RACE FOR MVP AWARD
From Week 1 through Week 17, USA TODAY Sports’ NFL staff will be handicapping the race for league MVP. A first-place vote is worth five points, a second-place vote is worth three and a thirdplace vote is worth one. Our MVP tracker through Week 14’s games: 1. QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots (27 points): Has he finally done enough to overcome his four-game Deflategate suspension and earn a third MVP award? If Brady wins, he’d be the first MVP to play fewer than 13 games. It helped his case to pass for 406 yards and three touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens, who no longer own the top-ranked defense after being skewered by Brady. The Patriots star’s 113.6 passer rating leads the league, and his 22-to-2 TD pass-to-interception ratio is shaping up as a personal best. Last week: 3. 2. QB Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (13 points): An abysmal night at the Kansas City Chiefs — Carr’s 49.1 passer rating was a career low — ends his twoweek run in the top spot. But one poor showing doesn’t erase a season’s worth of clutch play, production and toughness. And with one more victory, Carr will help Oakland end a 14-year playoff drought, and an AFC West title and perhaps even a first-round bye remain within reach. Last week: 1.
3. RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas
Cowboys (8 points): The impressive rookie is cruising to the league rushing title, with his 1,392 yards being 257 more than his nearest competitor. However, Elliott wasn’t on the field for the final seven plays of the Week 14 loss to the New York Giants, not a great visual for an MVP campaign. Still, his first 100-yard effort in a month keeps him in the conversation and adds credence to Elliott’s belief that he will not be stopped by the proverbial rookie wall. Last week: 2. 4. QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (4 points): It would appear vintage Rodgers has returned along with the Packers, whose three-game winning streak has returned them to relevance. Seven of Rodgers’ leaguehigh 32 TD passes have come during this hot stretch. He hasn’t been picked off since Nov. 13, and his passer rating has been at least 108.9 over the last four games. And dominating the Seattle Seahawks defense Sunday despite a calf injury constituted his most impressive performance of 2016. Last week: unranked. T5. RB Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers (3 points): He has carried the Steelers during a four-game roll that has launched them back atop the AFC North. Bell has rushed for 620 yards during that span, including a team-record 236 Sunday, and is averaging better than 200 yards from scrimmage. His total of 1,616 yards from scrimmage is the most in a player’s first 10 games during the Super Bowl era. Only legendary Jim Brown in 1963 had a better start. But like Brady, Bell could struggle to overcome the stigma of a suspension. Last week: Unranked. T5. QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys (3 points): He’d probably have more support if he didn’t have to play the Giants. But New York has been the rookie’s Kryptonite, and Prescott turned in, by far, his worst performance (two interceptions, 45.4 passer rating) in Sunday’s defeat. He could still produce the greatest season ever by a rookie quarterback, but that might not be enough to earn him MVP honors. Last week: 4. T5. QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (3 points): Another week, another fourth-quarterback comeback engineered by Stafford — that’s a single-season record eight if you’re counting. His 7-yard TD run was enough to beat the Chicago Bears on a day when he was impeded by a dislocated middle finger on his throwing hand. Stafford’s numbers (3,447 yards, 22 TD passes, seven interceptions, 97.8 passer rating) aren’t eye-popping in this age of advanced passing, but his clutch factor and the chance to lead Detroit to its first division title since 1993 make him a compelling contender. Last week: 5.