NFL MVP Race: Latest Power Rankings ft. Mahomes, Murray, Herbert after Week 4 - October 4th, 2021
The first quarter of the NFL season has now concluded and the picture for the 2021 MVP award starts to get a little bit clearer.
Like every year since the 2013 season, the main favorites to win the award are the quarterbacks, as only players from the position have won the MVP since. But there is still some indefinition about who should make the top five as the race for MVP is still really close, and except for one or two names, it's still a tight battle.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the five players who made the top five MVP power rankings following Week 4.
2021-22 NFL MVP - Latest Power Rankings
#5 - Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Completion %: 68.1, Passing yards: 1222, Yards per attempt: 9.1,
Passing TDs: 11, Interceptions: 2, Rushing yards: 15, Rushing TDs: 0.
Previous NFL MVP Ranking: (↓3)
Stafford went up three places in last week's edition, and he now regresses the same amount. He played a solid game against the Cardinals, albeit with an interception, and the Rams' loss — plus the great exhibitions by other players — caused him to drop a little bit.
It was a weird game for Stafford's play-style, as he averaged only 6.8 yards per attempt, much less than his year average of 9.1. There's a lot of ground to gain in the coming weeks as the schedule gets easier, but in an important game, he could've played a little better.
#4 - Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Completion %: 68.9, Passing yards: 1178, Yards per attempt: 7.1,
Passing TDs: 9, Interceptions: 3, Rushing yards: 31, Rushing TDs: 0.
Previous NFL MVP Ranking: New entry.
There's no way to keep Herbert out of the MVP conversation any more. The Chargers quarterback, only in his second season, is already an elite quarterback, boasting all the necessary qualities to be part of the NFL's top tier: accuracy, strong arm, intelligence and decision making.
Justin Herbert completed his 500th pass on #MondayNightFootball, in only his 19th NFL start
Herbert is the first QB in the Super Bowl era to reach 500+ completions before his 20th NFL start
The second-year quarterback has led the Chargers to the top spot in the AFC West and has already defeated two of their division rivals. Everything he does looks effortless, and he's on track to be one of the top five quarterbacks in the league sooner rather than later.
#3 - Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Completion %: 63.5, Passing yards: 1055, Yards per attempt: 6.8,
Passing TDs: 9, Interceptions: 2, Rushing yards: 129, Rushing TDs: 1.
Previous NFL MVP Ranking: 5 (↑2)
Allen's Buffalo Bills scored +35 points for the third straight week, and the quarterback remains at a high level even in weird circumstances. Obviously the Houston Texans weren't much of a match in terms of level, but Allen was impressive even playing in the rain.
Allen has a good chance of ascending to the second spot as he goes head-to-head with Patrick Mahomes on Sunday Night Football. The Bills are a better team than the Chiefs and, if Josh outplays Patrick, then he'll have a good shot at reaching the first row of this power ranking.
#2 - Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Completion %: 72.3, Passing yards: 1218, Yards per attempt: 8.6,
Passing TDs: 14, Interceptions: 4, Rushing yards: 92, Rushing TDs: 0.
Previous NFL MVP Ranking: 4 (↑2)
Five touchdown passes will always be a great mark, even if it's against one of the worst passing defenses in the league and two of them are shovel passes. Mahomes was extremely dominant from start to finish, accurate, knew when and how to extend plays with his legs and explored the mismatches with Tyreek Hill perfectly.
The Chiefs aren't one of the best teams in the league right now, but that's because the defense is suspect and the offensive line is suffering, not because of Mahomes. His high level remains intact, and he's one of the main candidates for the MVP award after the first four weeks.
#1 Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Completion %: 76.1, Passing yards: 1273, Yards per attempt: 9.5,
Passing TDs: 9, Interceptions: 4, Rushing yards: 109, Rushing TDs: 3.
Previous NFL MVP Ranking: 1 (=)
A leader of the NFL's only undefeated team, Murray took a look at Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey in the Rams' defense this week and was like, "Yeah, alright." He then dominated, and the Cardinals had their best win of the season so far.
The dual-threat quarterback continues to dominate with his strong arm and legs, extending plays when necessary but also operating in a fantastic manner when he needs to play the quick game, as was the case against such a ferocious defense.
Kyler Murray was efficient on quick passes (< 2.5 seconds) in the #Cardinals 37-20 victory over the Rams in Week 4.
Murray completed 15 of his 17 passes for 123 yards and a TD on quick passes (+11.5% CPOE).
#AZvsLAR | #RedSea https://t.co/fMJd0WghtH
Is it safe to say that Murray's the best player in the NFL over the first four weeks? Debatable. Is there any player more important for his team than Murray is for Arizona's 4-0 start? Not even close. He retains the top spot for the third straight week.
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