Welcome back all! With the NFL regular season winding down, and several important games on the dockett for this weekend, it's the perfect time to take a look at the 5 most deserving MVP candidates for the 2019 season. With just two games left, it's safe to say these 5 players have significantly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Each of them would make for deserving winners in my opinion, but alas, there can only be one. Without further ado, here are the @sportsguychris Top 5 MVP candidates for the 2019 season:
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RUSSELL WILSON
QB Seattle Seahawks
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300-445, 67.4%, 3,708 yards, 28TD, 5INT; 8.3ypa; 109.3 rating
65 - 311 yards, 3TD
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I know that it might seem blasphemous to not have Lamar Jackson at the top of this list. He is the likely front-runner to take home the award, and he would be a deserving winner. The award is for the "most valuable", however, and not necessarily for the best stats. It is tough to argue that any player has been more VALUABLE to their team than Russell Wilson. When you look at the Seahawks roster, it's Russ Wilson and that's about it. They are 11-3 and currently sitting as the 1-seed in an extremely difficult NFC. The AFC on the other hand is rather weak. Take Wilson off of Seattle and that team might be one of the worst in the NFL, that's how 'valuable' he is to Seattle.
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LAMAR JACKSON
QB Baltimore Ravens
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245-370, 66.2%, 2,889 yards, 33TD, 6INT; 7.8ypa; 112.8 rating
159 - 1,103 yards, 7TD
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Jackson has been the most electrifying, dynamic player in the league in 2019. All he's done is help transform the Ravens into the league's best team at 12-2. His 33 TD passes leads the league, and his 66.2% completion % is a night & day difference from his rookie year where he completed just 58.2% of his passes. Throw-in how dynamic he is as a rusher, already surpassing the 1,000 - yard mark, currently ranking 8th in the entire league, and it's easy to see why he is the favorite to take home the MVP. His 6.9 yards per carry is easily the top mark in the league as well, with the next closest player at 5.7 yards per tote. 40 total TDs, and just under 4,000 total yards, certainly makes Jackson a deserving candidate. My only argument in favor of Wilson over Jackson is, even if you took him off of the Ravens, they are good enough defensively, and with the run game to be a playoff team and even still possibly win a weak AFC North.
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CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY
HB Carolina Panthers
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265 - 1,307 yards, 14TD, 4.9ypc
94 - 814 yards, 4TD
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Through the first 7 or 8 games of the season, McCaffrey was probably my pick for MVP. The Panthers were 5-3 at the time and actually in the playoff mix, all without any help from a hobbled Cam Newton. Since then? Carolina has come crashing back down to reality, and even fired beloved, but often-embattled head coach Ron Rivera. The Panthers have faded, but McCaffrey has not. He's currently 3rd in the league in rushing, tied for 1st in rushing TDs, and 3rd in the entire NFL in receptions, behind just DeAndre Hopkins & Michael Thomas - and he's a RUNNING BACK. 2,121 total yards later, and McCaffrey is without-a-doubt an MVP candidate.
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AARON RODGERS
QB Green Bay Packers
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300-474, 63.3%, 3,463 yards, 24TD, 2INT; 7.3ypa; 100.4 rating
41 - 185 yards, 1TD
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Rodgers may not be putting up gaudy, video game-type stats, but his Packers are 11-3 and right in the thick of the NFC race. One thing he is doing, however, is taking care of the football, and allowing the Packers to rely more on a talented back in Aaron Jones and the run game. He's only thrown 2 picks in 14 games, and hasn't thrown one since October 14th, in a game against Detroit. That's 8 games since without an INT, and GB is 6-2 in those 8. It may not be a vintage Rodgers year, but when you are talking about the MOST VALUABLE player, Rodgers is certainly that to the Packers. Take him away, and this team is not in the playoffs, let-alone battling for the top-seed in the NFC.
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MICHAEL THOMAS
WR New Orleans Saints
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133 - 1,552 yards, 8TD; 11.7ypc
159 targets; 83.6%
(10+ receptions in a game 8 times; fewest catches in a game - 5)
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All Thomas has done this season is average an insane 11.6 targets per game. What's even more impressive, is the fact that he's reeled in 83.6% of those targets - good for a whopping 133 catches. The next closest to Thomas? DeAndre Hopkins with 99. He also leads the league in receiving yardage by an overwhelming margin, 219 yards clear of Chris Godwin from Tampa. He's registered double-digit receptions in 8 of 14 games, and hasn't caught fewer than 5 passes in any game this season. The Saints were able to survive a long stretch of their season without Drew Brees, but takeaway Thomas, and this team becomes one-dimensional and far less dynamic. He's just 10 catches shy of Marvin Harrison's single-season record of 143.
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