Wilson latest QB to enter weekly debate
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 worth three, and a thirdplace worth one. Our MVP tracker after Week 8: 1. QB Carson Wentz, Eagles (23
points): At the season’s midpoint, he’s the face of the team with a league-best 7-1 record, and his 19 touchdown passes make him the NFL co-leader with rookie Deshaun Watson. Wentz has drastically cut down on mistakes and improved on third-down efficiency since he was a rookie in 2016. And he’s done a great job using his mobility on passing plays and as an open-field threat with 203 rushing yards. LW: 1 2. QB Alex Smith, Chiefs (18 points): His gaudy TD-to-interception ratio (16-0) primarily explains his league-best 115.4 passer rating. It’s also indicative of Smith’s newfound willingness to take chances, though he continues to display the best characteristics of the “game manager” label long affixed to him. His MVP momen-
tum has slowed in recent weeks, along with the Chiefs’ hot start, and his 14for-31 night against Denver brought his completion rate to a merely excellent level (69.1%) but only good for third place among his peers. LW: 2 3. QB Tom Brady, Patriots (121⁄ 2
points): Brady’s 206 completions, 309 attempts and 2,541 yards all top the NFL leaderboard. But he is checking down to his backs with more frequency as his receiving corps continues to be depleted. A two-time MVP, if Brady maintains his pace, he’ll join Drew Brees as the only players with multiple 5,000-yard seasons. However with Jimmy Garoppolo gone, it’s worth wondering if the Pats might want to temper TB12’s load a bit to preserve him as effectively as possible. LW: 3
4. QB Russell Wilson, Seahawks
(81⁄ points): His 452-yard, four-TD 2 performance Sunday vaulted him onto the MVP short list. But Wilson’s been playing quite well of late, with 1,652 yards and 14 TDs (108.7 passer rating) over the last five games, four of them Seattle wins. His efforts have been especially noteworthy given the Seahawks’ continued struggles to block or run the ball.