Three reasons Patrick Mahomes can still win NFL MVP

Tom Brady is not the NFL’s MVP

It’s difficult to make the case that a player whose production falls off a cliff because of missing teammates, to well below average levels, should objectively be considered the MVP. The Buccaneers experienced a number of injuries recently, but an MVP should be able to manufacture some points despite that fact.

The last five award winners have been Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Aaron Rodgers. In that time, the lowest two scores for an MVP-led team were 10 and 15 points. None of the aforementioned quarterbacks ended on the wrong end of a shutout.

Tom Brady’s goose egg Sunday night, albeit without a number of his main targets, is a significant indictment against his credibility as 2021’s NFL MVP.

The most valuable player award is also largely a team award, more often than not going to the best player on the top team in a given conference or league. Of the five previous NFL MVPs, only Atlanta’s Matt Ryan received it while his team placed lower than the top seed in the conference. The Falcon’s finished 2016 as the two-seed heading into the playoffs.

As the odds stand, with Sunday night’s loss to the New Orleans Saints the Buccaneers have only the third-highest odds of achieving the top seed in the NFC. If they place third or lower, this is another significant indictment to Brady’s credentials as the MVP.