Who Will Win the 2014 NFL MVP?
The NFL regular season has just two weeks remaining. Teams are jockeying for playoff position while fans and sport writers are debating about who should be the league’s MVP for this season.
The debate centers around five players who have played at another level this season. Those five include four offensive stars and one defensive standout.
The debate about the NFL begins normally around the halfway point of the season when a few players start separating themselves from the rest of the league.
The candidate pool then shrinks as some players suffer injuries while others see their play falter for one reason or another.
Of the five players in contention for this season’s award, J.J. Watt is the only one who plays defense. The talented Houston defensive tackle has had a great season, but it will be tough for him to overcome the bias towards players on offense.
Three quarterbacks are in the running for the award and each has already won the MVP. Peyton Manning has won it five times, Tom Brady on two occasions and Aaron Rodgers has won it once.
The fifth candidate is DeMarco Murray the running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Murray is likely the biggest surprise of the five on the list as he only ran for 1,121 yards and 9 touchdowns last season.
A big question is how does one differentiate between what these five players have been able to accomplish this season.
Traditionally the award has gone to a quarterback, and just two players on defense have every won the MVP.
Eighteen of the last 26 MVPs were quarterbacks. The other eight in that group played running back.
The last time a player on the defensive side of the ball won the MVP award was in 1986 when Lawrence Taylor for the New York Giants was the winner.
Most feel that J.J. Watt is the best player on defense in the NFL but few believe he will win or even deserves to be MVP. That is not due to his playing ability, but due to his team not making the playoffs.
Others feel Rodgers should win as has he played well this season with less talent around him than the other candidates.
Murray has not been given the respect he deserves such as taking pressure of Tony Romo and opening up the receiving lanes for Dez Bryant.
Manning’s numbers have fallen off the record numbers from last season, but he has fewer top receivers to throw to and a running game that has sputtered the entire season.
Brady was almost written off by many early in the season, but has led the New England charge and the Patriots have clinched yet another AFC East title.
The race is close between the five and any bad week could cause one to fall off the pace, while a big week could give one the separation he needs to win the MVP.
