New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws against the Indianapolis Colts in the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
After six weeks of NFL football, it is time to break down the top three MVP frontrunners of the 2015 season. It should not be a surprise that the top three candidates are quarterbacks, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Andy Dalton. All three of these men have unblemished team records through six weeks. However, they all bring something different to the table. Let’s rank them and break them down, one by one.
1. Tom Brady
Tom Brady has been the MVP of the National Football League through the first six weeks of the season due to his individual and team statistics. Brady has completed 70-percent of his passes, while throwing for 1,700 yards. His completion percentage leads all quarterbacks that have thrown a minimum of 100 passes.
Brady also has a touchdown-interception ratio of 14-1. The one interception was not even his fault. Julian Edelman bobbled Brady’s pass into the hands of a Colts defender on Sunday Night Football.
More than 60-percent of ESPN’s NFL reporters have voted Brady the MVP through week six. He simply has been on a mission this year. He wants to prove himself every week of the season. Last year’s Super Bowl win was supposed to prove that the Patriots could win a title without Spy Gate. That obviously did not work out as planned. So this year is another redemption year. This is the year they have to prove they can win without Spygate or Deflategate.
The scariest part about this Patriots team is that they may go 16-0 again. They have absolutely no competition outside of the Broncos, Giants and Eagles.
2. Aaron Rodgers
If we switch gears to the NFC North we can find a guy that is always in the MVP conversation, and that is Aaron Rodgers. The reigning MVP has led his Green Bay Packers to a perfect 6-0 record. He has also been an unstoppable machine at home. Rodgers is right next to Brady when it comes to individual statistics. He has thrown 15 touchdowns and two interceptions, while completing 68 percent of his passes.
One thing to remember is that Rodgers has played tougher opponents than Brady this season. Rodgers defeated the Seahawks, Chiefs, 49ers, Rams and Chargers. I am not counting their win over the Bears because, well, they are the Bears. However, the other five teams are all tough opponents that are capable of making a playoff run if they get their acts together. These wins are hard to come by and Rodgers deserves credit.
3. Andy Dalton
The third player in the MVP hunt is Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton. Did I just say Dalton? Yes, I did. The Bengals quarterback has 14 touchdowns and two interceptions to go along with 1,761 passing yards. Dalton has simply been a flat out stud through the first six weeks. But can we trust him?
The Bengals have been the “up-and-coming” team for the past three years, but they never seem to reach their potential. Dalton has suffered from the “Romo” curse early in his career. He has struggled mightily in the postseason.
So unfortunately for Dalton, I think NFL voters will wait until he does something in the post-season before they hand him an MVP trophy. It would be embarrassing if the MVP was crushed by 25-points on Wild Card weekend.
However, despite Dalton’s past resume, these three quarterbacks are in a league of their own right now. There are several other quarterbacks like Carson Palmer, Phillip Rivers and Matt Ryan, that have been playing well this year, but they are just not at that MVP level.
Brady winning MVP would be a great storyline for the NFL because a lot of people would love to see the conversation between Roger Goodell and Brady during the ceremony. There certainly is no love loss there.
Eddie Leonard is a staff writer for The Daily Campus, covering UConn men’s soccer. He tweets @EddieLeonard23.