Dear NFL MVP Award voters,
I know many of you like to get cute with your votes in order to “be different” or stand out, but I’m hoping this email will help you see that Aaron Rodgers is the Most Valuable Player in the NFL, not anybody else.
Rodgers is working on the best passer rating all time. His 122.5 rating is better than anything any other quarterback has achieved. It’s higher than Peyton Manning’s record-breaking 2004 season (121.1) and it’s higher than the third-best season all time — Tom Brady’s 50-touchdown 2007 season (117.2).
Rodgers’ 68.3 completion percentage is second in the League behind Drew Brees (70.7). That number ranks 15th all time, and it would be much higher if Jermichael Finley hadn’t dropped multiple passes the last two weeks. Rodgers is also third behind Drew Brees and Tom Brady with 4,643 yards. That total places him 17th all time, and it gives him a chance to become just the third quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a season.
The Packers quarterback has 45 touchdown passes, which is fourth-highest all time. He’s only thrown six interceptions, giving him an astounding 6.5:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He also has the fourth-most rushing yards as a QB, trailing only Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, and Michael Vick. His three rushing touchdowns are tied for fourth. He’s also the only quarterback to start the entire season and not lose a fumble. Rodgers has fewer turnovers than any other quarterback to start the bulk of the season.
Those are all numbers that help place Rodgers’ brilliant season in historical context.
Now let’s look at some other numbers that put him above any other candidate: wins.
The Packers are 14-1. They have scored more points than any other team in the league. Rodgers has only had one sub-par game this season — a one touchdown, 235-yard effort against the Chiefs. That’s it. He’s been superb in every other game, posting over a 100 passer rating in 13 of the 15 weeks. He’s posted a 130 or better passer rating an incredible six times. Both Tom Brady and Drew Brees — two of his supposed MVP competitors — have only done this twice.
Both Brady and Brees are having excellent seasons, but they’ve each had a couple of down games. Rodgers beat Brees head-to-head, and he’s only had one down game on the season. Brees and Brady have each had a few down games.
Aaron Rodgers has played better than any quarterback in the game 14 of 15 weeks this season. It would be a crime to rob him of the MVP award. Don’t play it cute, voters, get the award right by giving it to the man who deserves it the most: Aaron Rodgers.
