Rodgers vs Mahomes: Who will win the MVP Award?
10 December 2020
By: Paulina Vairo
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Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes are on another level. They are both the leaders and play on teams that have high chances of making it to the Super Bowl this season. Many experts believe that the MVP race will come down to these two. So who has a better chance of winning the MVP?
Not So Old Aaron Rodgers Still Has it
Rodgers is still one of the best quarterbacks in the league at the age of 37-years old. He has led his Packers to a 9-3 record and the top of the NFC North. This season so far Rodgers has totaled 3,395 passing yards (sixth in the league) 36 touchdown passes (first the league) and 286 total completions.
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Besides the hiccup against the Buccaneers during Week 6, Rodgers has showed up with consistent performances each game. Even with the injuries the Packers have suffered to his offensive line, he manages to make it work and get wins for the team.
Aaron Rodgers has won the NFL MVP back in 2011 and 2014 (Photo Credit: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
Not only is Rodgers putting up the numbers this season, he is also breaking records. With his three touchdown passes against the Eagles on Sunday, he became the fastest quarterback in history to reach 400 touchdown passes. He also broke the record for the most seasons with 35 or more touchdown passes with now five seasons, a record previously held by Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning.
The slight edge Rodgers has on Mahomes for winning MVP is the talent on his team. It is no secret that the Chiefs are the best team in the NFL and it has been like that for over a year. Mahomes is playing with one of the best offenses in the league who is averaging 30.8 points per game, which is best in the league.
Rodgers has managed to keep his offense going despite all the injuries suffered on the offensive line. After rookie wide receiver Allen Lazard went down earlier this season, Rodgers used more of tight end Robert Tonyan, running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Davante Adams. Adams has been able to catch 13 of Rodgers’ touchdown passes while Tonyan has been able to catch eight of them. The talent of Jones has also contributed to the Packers offense with seven rushing touchdowns so far this season.
Super Bowl MVP Winner is on the Hunt for More
Rodgers’ biggest competitor for the MVP title is the man who has a 10-year $500 million dollar contact. Mahomes has become the best quarterback in the league as he managed to lead his Chiefs to Super Bowl victory in 2019.
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This season Mahomes has totaled so far 3,815 passing yards (first in the league), 31 touchdown passes (third in the league) and 316 completions (second in the league). Mahomes is very familiar with winning MVPs after winning the NFL MVP back in 2018 and the Super Bowl MVP in 2019.
Mahomes looks to add more hardware to his trophy case in only his third season in the NFL (Photo Credit:Albert Breer/Sports Illustrated)
Each game Mahomes goes out and puts on a show, and he is a big reason why the Chiefs have the best record in the NFL at 11-1. Having the likes of wide receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Travis Kelce and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire will also help in an MVP race.
Mahomes is up against a very experienced quarterback who is breaking many records this season. The edge that Mahomes has over Rodgers in the race for MVP is the leadership he brings to the Chiefs. Ever since taking over starting quarterback in 2018, he has led the Chiefs to a 35-9 regular season record, four playoff wins and a Super Bowl title.
He is a self-motivator and he loves challenges, which motivates him to be the best.
“I think the biggest thing is I’ve always been someone that loves to challenge the guys in our locker room but always with a positive mentality,” said Mahomes according to the Kansas City Star. “And I think whenever you’re putting in the work along with the other guys in the locker room that we can talk to each other and really challenge each other every single day and still be best friends in the locker room and everything like that.”
The MVP race will come to the last weeks of the season. Even though both teams are expected to win their respective divisions, both quarterbacks are equal in numbers. The Packers next four games will be against teams with weak defenses, while the Chiefs will have the difficult Saints during Week 15. It will be excited to see how the next few weeks will turn out for Mahomes and Rodgers. Like Mahomes says, it must be that State Farm insurance that made these two quarterbacks so great this season.
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(Article can also be see on on https://thegamehaus.com/nfl/rodgers-vs-mahomes-who-will-win-the-mvp-award/2020/12/10/ )