Tom Brady blew away the competition last season to win the NFL MVP award at age 40.
But through 10 weeks in 2018, the New England Patriots star appears unlikely to defend his crown at age 41.
Instead, another veteran quarterback leads the pack as the season heads for the home stretch, with one of the game’s best young signal-callers hot on his tail.
Here are the top-five MVP candidates through Week 10:Â
1. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
Brees has been brilliant through nine games. The 39-year-old has 2,601 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and just one interception while completing an astounding 77.3 percent of his passes. Brees is on pace to finish the season with 4,600 yards and 37 touchdowns while obliterating the single-season record for completion percentage that he set last year (72 percent). The Saints look like a juggernaut hell-bent on dismantling the NFC en route to the Super Bowl with only the Los Angeles Rams to stand in their way. New Orleans’ unstoppable offense is averaging a league-high 36.7 points per game under Brees’ direction. He’s far and away the front-runner.
2. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
The second-year stud has been a revelation for Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Through 10 games, Mahomes has led the Chiefs to a 9-1 record while throwing for 3,150 yards, 31 touchdowns and seven picks. Kansas City appears primed to grab the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the Mahomes-led offense shows no signs of slowing down. On Sunday, Mahomes broke KC’s single-season franchise record for touchdowns in a season, breaking a mark set by Len Dawson in 1964. The Texas Tech product has yet to have his “MVP Moment,” but he’ll get his chance in Week 11 when the Chiefs face the Los Angeles Rams on “Monday Night Football.”
3. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Through 10 games, Gurley has compiled 1,390 total yards from scrimmage and scored 17 total touchdowns. LA’s electric running back is one of the cogs that makes Sean McVay’s high-flying offense run, but that might be his problem. Gurley is just a piece he’s not the piece. If the Georgia product was removed from the Rams, LA would suffer but they would still function at a high level. Whereas, if the Saints lost Brees or the Chiefs lost Mahomes, they’d be toast.
4. Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles ChargersÂ
You’re probably stunned to see Rivers appear on the list, but you shouldn’t be. The Chargers veteran signal-caller is on pace to throw 38 touchdown passes and just six interceptions while posting a 116.5 passer rating and leading his team to a 12-4 record. LA’s only losses have come to the Chiefs and Rams, two of the NFL’s best teams. If Rivers can lead the Chargers past the Chiefs and to the AFC West title, the award could be his.
5. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
If the award is supposed to indeed go to the player that is the most valuable to their team, then Rodgers has to be in the mix. The Packers are a mediocre 4-4-1 so far this season, but we saw what would happen if the Packers lost Rodgers last year and it wasn’t pretty. Rodgers has thrown for 2,741 yards, 17 touchdowns and one interception while completing 61.1 percent of his passes, but the Packers likely will need to go on a long winning streak for Rodgers to be seriously considered.
