Every year in the NFL, there’s a lot of changes between the shift of the off-season and the beginning of the new season. Those changes can include either players being on new teams, new coaches, staff,or new young blood coming in from the college scene through the draft. Other than people wondering who’s winning the Super Bowl this time, people question which players will outperform all players in their respective positions and win the MVP award.
The NFL MVP award is won by not only having the best statistics in the league,but also having a big impact on your team, and performing at the highest level all season long, especially in big moments when it matters.
Every year the discussion on who should win the MVP is always highly talked about and debated by fans and sport personalities like Stephen A. Smith, Shannon Sharpe, Skip Bayless, The good morning football, players from the league, and especially the fans. This year is no different, and the MVP award has been the closest it’s been in a while. The candidates are quarterback Lamar Jackson, from the Baltimore Ravens; quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffery from the 49ers; quarterback Josh Allen from the Buffalo Bills; and quarterback Dak Prescott from the Dallas Cowboys.
All five players have been amazing this year, but only one player can win the award. I will go through each player one by one, stating their stats and impact towards their team andI will rank them by who I think is the weaker case, to the strongest case to win MVP.
Starting off is QB Josh Allen from the Buffalo Bills. He had a strong end of the season winning his last 6 out of 7 games played, which had the Bills finishing 11-6. His stats this season were impressive with a 66.5% completion rate, 7.4 yards per attempt (15th), a QBR (Quarterback Rating) of 69.6 (3rd) among all QBS, 4.306 passing yards (4th), 524 rushing yards which was 4th among QB’s, and 29 passing touchdowns for the year, and 15 rushing touchdowns.
He would’ve made a strong MVP candidate, if not for his 18 interceptions which were 2nd highest, 5 fumbles, and his rating per game of 92.2 which is mediocre. He caused too many turnovers compared to the other candidates, which is why I put him at the bottom of the list.
Next up in the list is Dak Prescott from the Dallas Cowboys. He had a good season taking the Cowboys to a 12-5 record. His stats were top of line with 69.5% completion rate (3rd), 7.7 yards per attempt (7th), a QBR of 72.7 which is tied for 1st, 4,516 passing yards (3rd), and 36 passing tds to only 9 interceptions. To add to it, he also had a game rating of 106 (3rd).
Even though Prescott’s stats are top 3 in every category, the reason he’s fourth in the list is because he failed to show up in big game moments or in games against big teams. His Cowboys lost to the Dolphins, Bills, 49ers, and Eagles.
Third on the list is Christian McCaffrey from the San Francisco 49ers. He had one of the best seasons for a running back in recent time, he had 1,459 rushing yards (1st), 14 rushing touchdowns (3rd), 5.4 rushing yards per attempt (3rd amongst players with more than 100 attempts) 91.2 yards per game (2nd), and adding 564 receiving yards with 7 receiving touchdowns.
These numbers are all top 3 and the receiving stats are impressive for a running back, but the MVP is highly favored towards quarterback’s and these stats won’t be enough for McCaffrey to win the MVP.
The runner up is Lamar Jackson from the Baltimore Ravens. He led the Ravens to the best record of the league with an 13-4 record. His stats were 8.0 yards per attempt (6th), QBR of 64.7 (4th), game rating of 102.7 (5th), 3,678 passing yards (15th), 24 passing touchdowns (11th), to only 7 interceptions, and 821 rushing yards which was the most of any QB with 5 rushing touchdowns..
Even though the main statistics weren’t top 10, his impact on the game was incredible and he showed up when it mattered and would always be consistent with his dual threat ability. He had amazing rushing stats for a QB, would play at a high level most games, and was the main reason the Ravens ended with an 13-4 record.
But the player I believe should win the MVP award this season is Brock Purdy from the San Francisco 49ers. He led the 49ers to a record of 12-5 which was first in the NFC. His stats were 69.4% completion (5th) 9.7 yards per attempt (1st), QBR of 72.7 (which is tied with Prescott at 1st), 113.0 game rating (2nd), 4,280 passing yards (5th), 31 passing touchdowns (3rd), to only 11 interceptions, and 2 rushing touchdowns.
Purdy had the best MVP caliber season, he played at the highest level consistently, he showed up when it mattered, and improved the 49ers offense significantly through all areas. He also came off a torn UCL (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) from his right throwing arm, so it was impressive that he played at the level he did this season.
After evaluating all players statistics, every player had impressive stats and had different cases for winning an MVP, but one outshined the others, and at the end I think Brock Purdy was the best and most valuable player of the 23/24 NFL season.
