3 reasons why Kyler Murray won't be the 2021 NFL MVP
Kyler Murray is having a wonderful season so far. He has led the Arizona Cardinals to a 4-0 record, meaning that they are the only team to enter Week 5 never having been beaten once this season. It is quite an achievement and therefore clamor has already risen to install Kyler Murray as the presumptive MVP nominee.
Kyler Murray is 24 years old and playing like an MVP. Career ceiling is insanely high.
But taking such a step is not only incredibly premature considering how much of the season is left, it also does not tally with the facts of the season so far. As good as Kyler Murray has been, he is not the stat leader in any category.
Going as per current trends alone, and looking beyond team performance, we can see that Kyler Murray is not on the path to becoming the MVP. That does not mean he cannot end up with the award come the end of the season. Rather, it means that if he continues with the current trend, he will not be the most deserving nominee. We're looking here at the reasons why that is so.
Reasons Kyler Murray is not in the MVP lead
#1 - Lacking in total passing yards
Currently, only one quarterback has more than 1500 passing yards this season and that is Matthew Stafford, not Kyler Murray. Two other quarterbacks have also broached the 1300 yards mark, namely Derek Carr and Tom Brady. Kyler Murray follows them all at 1273 passing yards. It's not shabby at all, but certainly not MVP caliber in this scenario considering there are three players ahead of him.
#2 - Lacking in total number of touchdown passes
Kyler Murray has been responsible for 9 touchdowns for the Arizona Cardinals this season. He trails Patrick Mahomes on 14, Matthew Stafford on 12, and Tom Brady, Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott on 10. Even in this category, Kyler Murray is not the leader.
#3 - Lacking in the running game
It could be argued that where Kyler Murray falls behind in the passing game, he makes up for it in the running game. But even there he trails behind Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones and Josh Allen. Then comes Kyler Murray with Patrick Mahomes close behind.
Lamar Jackson is the first QB in #NFL history to throw for 1,000 yards and rush for 250 yards in the first 4 games of a season.
Jackson is on pace for 4,577 passing yards and 1,186 rushing yards.
#Ravens #RavensFlock https://t.co/tGiznyEma1
Kyler Murray isn't the likely MVP yet for these reasons. Things can change and we could be proven wrong, but the data as it stands at the moment does not tilt in Kyler Murray's favor.