This week marked what was already the 8th week of the NFL season. Certain teams have already had their bye week, while some have played all eight weeks thus far. Regardless, this point of the season marks a good time to see what players could be on their way to winning the league’s most valuable player (MVP). So far there have been a few players that have stood out to me.
One player who has been playing exceptionally well so far this season is Lamar Jackson. Jackson being in this conversation is no surprise, as he already has two MVPs in his career, with his most recent just last season. This year he is arguable on pace for the best season he has had to date. He has thrown for 2,099 yards and 17 touchdown passes, and has also added 502 yards and two more touchdowns in the run game. He has also thrown only two interceptions, which gives him one of the best touchdown to interception ratios in the league. His 19 total touchdowns put him in second place among quarterbacks, and he also leads all quarterbacks with a 115.4 rating. The Ravens are 5-3, which is not the best record in the league, but Jackson has certainly been leading the way for the time being. The Ravens will be playing meaningful football all season, and Jackson will have a chance to build on his MVP campaign.
The next guy is not as usual of a suspect as Jackson, and that is Jared Goff. Goff has thrown for 1,695 yards and 13 touchdowns, while only having thrown four interceptions. His numbers are not quite that of Jacksons, but he has already had his bye week. He also is leading the league in completion percentage, completing an impressive 74.1% of his passes. If he were to keep this up all year, he would break the NFL record by almost 3%. His rating is also right behind Jackson, with 115.3. Goff has not always had to do a lot in some of the Lions games, but he has led them to a 6-1 record, putting them on top of the NFC. The Lions’ are looking like a true contender this season, and Goff is a major reason for that. If the Lions have the season it looks like they could have, it would not be surprising if he comes away with the MVP.
The final person who I think is truly in this race right now is Josh Allen. Allen has been close to the MVP trophy a couple of times, but this year could be his chance to get his first. Allen lost his top target in Stefon Diggs during the offseason, but that has not slowed him down. He has thrown for 1,766 yards and 14 touchdowns, and has added three more touchdowns on the ground. The big thing with him this year is that he has only thrown one interception. Typically he has turnover problems, but he might be changing that this season. The Bills are also 6-2 and one of the best teams in the AFC. Allen could finally grab his first MVP this season.
The race between these three guys is close so far. There is a lot of season to go, so there are a lot of things to play out, but so far I would say that Jackson will take home his third MVP. He has elevated his passing game to levels that we have not seen in his career thus far, and he is still as great of a runner as he has been in the past. If he can continue on this track, the Ravens will be one of the best teams in the NFL, and he will come away with the third MVP of his career.
