Well, the 2014 NFL regular season is literally 100 percent more complete now than it was one week ago, so these MVP rankings must carry 100 percent more weight. Problem, of course, is that 100 percent more than zero is still zero.
Whatever, here’s where the top MVP candidates stand through two weeks…
1. Peyton Manning, Broncos — Oh boy, he’s the game’s top-rated passer, with six touchdowns and zero picks, and his Broncos are atop the AFC West at 2-0. MVP No. 6 is on the horizon.
2. Andy Dalton, Bengals — Dalton’s 9.1 average leads the league by a wide margin, and Cincinnati is off to a 2-0 start. Plus, he won without A.J. Green last week. Enough said.
3. Darren Sproles, Eagles — Seriously. The guy has only been on the field for 57 snaps, but on a per-snap basis he’s been the league’s most productive offensive player by a wide margin. He single-handedly led Philadelphia to victory Monday night, and the 2-0 Eagles would probably be 0-2 without him.
4. Russell Wilson, Seahawks — That loss hurts, but it wasn’t on Wilson, who has a passer rating of 114.7, four touchdowns and no picks. Problem is he hasn’t made very many big plays. He’s been held in check as a runner and he has just two completions on passes that traveled 20-plus yards, according to Pro Football Focus.
5. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys — He’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry and is on pace to break the single-season rushing yards record. What choice do we have? Dude’s balling out.
6. J.J. Watt, Texans — Watt wasn’t as much of a force in Week 2 against Oakland but he already has 15 quarterback pressures this season for the 2-0 Texans and is well on his way to another defensive player of the year award.
7. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Texans — Well this just goes to show how silly this is. I mean, he’s torched Washington and Oakland. Still, you can’t deny a 2-0 record and a 118.4 passer rating. Plus, his average (8.4) is higher than Manning’s (8.2).
8. EJ Manuel, Bills — Buffalo is 2-0 and the second-year quarterback has completed 66.7 percent of his passes. Something tells me he won’t finish the year on this list, but it’s a good start.
9. Calvin Johnson, Lions — Megatron wasn’t as dominant against a tough Carolina defense, but he’s still having a monster season.
10. Ryan Kerrigan, Redskins — Four sacks in a dominant performance Week 2 against Jacksonville has Kerrigan leading the league in that category. Maybe he can come out of nowhere and break Michael Strahan’s record?
Honorable mentions: Brandon Marshall (Bears), Philip Rivers (Chargers), Antonio Gates (Chargers), Jordy Nelson (Packers), Jimmy Graham (Saints), Jay Cutler (Bears), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Matt Ryan (Falcons)
