Six weeks into the 2014 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the 10 most valuable players in football at this very moment…
1. Philip Rivers, Chargers — I know, his last four opponents have been the Bills, Jaguars, Jets and Raiders. But Rivers is simply dominating with a 117.6 passer rating, 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions. His rating has been above 120 in five straight games, and San Diego has the best record in the AFC.
2. Peyton Manning, Broncos — Mechanical performance against the Jets to maintain a slight edge over Aaron Rodgers. Can’t wait for Manning and Rivers to go head-to-head in Week 8.
3. Aaron Rodgers, Packers — He was money when it mattered against Miami, which is what’s important. And that fake spike was what MVPs are made of.
4. Tony Romo, Cowboys — An absolute stunner of a performance against the best defense in the league has Romo sporting the fourth-best passer rating in the NFL. He’s got a ton of momentum, even more support, and his Cowboys are 5-1.
5. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys — Two potential MVPs on one team…and the Cowboys at that! Murray and Jim Brown are the only backs ever to start a season with six straight 100-yard performances. When Brown accomplished that feat in 1958, he went on to win MVP.
6. Russell Wilson, Seahawks — Wilson is still the fifth highest rated passer in football, but he’s averaging just 7.0 yards per attempt, he’s coming off one of his worst performances as a pro and the Seahawks just aren’t quite themselves.
7. Andrew Luck, Colts — Could have been better against Houston but he still has a league-leading 17 touchdown passes and Indianapolis has won four straight games.
8. J.J. Watt, Texans — Dude scored yet another touchdown, this time on a fumble return against the Colts. Problem is, Houston lost for the third time in four weeks. It’ll be hard for Watt to become the first defensive player in nearly 30 years to win MVP if the Texans can’t remain competitive.
9. Joe Flacco, Ravens — Five first-half touchdowns provide quite the boost. Even before that, though, Flacco had quietly been putting together a great season. Against good defenses, Baltimore has scored at least 38 points in two of its last three games and has won four of its last five overall.
10. Tom Brady, Patriots — He’s bounced back from that rough start in a major way. Brady’s numbers the last two weeks: 69.4%, 6 TD, 0 INT, 9.1 YPA and a 125.5 rating. And the Patriots are back on track with consecutive blowout victories.
