Five 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 — Finally someone holds onto this spot for two consecutive weeks. In a blowout victory over the Jets, Rivers completed over 70 percent of his passes and posted a passer rating north of 120.0 for the fourth straight week.
2. Russell Wilson, Seahawks — Dude was simply dominant in every respect against the Redskins. And his team was really struggling elsewhere. Had Wilson not lifted the Seahawks on his shoulders, they’d be 2-2 right now.
3. Peyton Manning, Broncos — After some early hiccups, Mannning was lights-out against a very good Arizona defense, hitting a new career high with 479 passing yards.
4. Aaron Rodgers, Packers — He needed only 17 pass attempts to tear apart the Vikings. During his last two games, Rodgers is averaging a ridiculous 10.2 yards per throw. And he hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 1.
5. Andrew Luck, Colts — He leads the league with 14 touchdown passes and has carried the Colts on their current three-game winning streak. His performance Sunday against a very good Baltimore defense wasn’t off the charts, but he got the job done.
6. DeMarco Murray, Cowboys — He’s now just the third back in NFL history to hit 100 yards in the first five games of a season, and he remains on pace to break the single-season rushing yardage record. Murray has already rushed for 37 first downs; only one other back has done so more than 20 times.
7. Tony Romo, Cowboys — Two Cowboys in the top seven! Apocalyptic! They’d probably cross each other out, but Romo deserves acknowledgement for his 73.1 completion percentage and his 115.1 passer rating in his last three games, all Dallas victories.
8. J.J. Watt, Texans — The clear top candidate for defensive player of the year had a fairly tame performance against the Cowboys. He’ll have to up his game in order to become the first defensive player in three decades to win MVP.
9. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers — It hasn’t always been pretty thus far, but Big Ben has quietly got Pittsburgh in contention at 3-2 and has a passer rating in the triple digits. Like Rodgers, he hasn’t thrown a pick since Week 1.
10. Justin Houston, Chiefs — Tied for the league lead with six sacks, but he’s also got 17 tackles and is the highest-rated outside linebacker at Pro Football Focus. The 25-year-old is just a fantastic all-around player, and he’s been at his best of late.