This year’s NFL MVP debate is seemingly down to two players: Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Each quarterback has led their respective teams to the top seed in the conference, and there is a very reasonable chance that Rodgers will meet Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl in February.
Aaron Rodgers has 4299 yards with 48 touchdowns and five picks in the 2020 year. Mahomes has 4740 yards with 38 touchdowns and six picks, albeit in one less game than Rodgers.
Patrick Mahomes is the heart and soul of this team. Yes, the Chiefs offense features Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, who are both arguably the best at their positions.
However, the Chiefs haven’t always roared with efficiency on offense. The case against Patrick Mahomes flows from this point.
On the other side, Rodgers has the benefit of Aaron Jones, who rushed for 1000 yards for the second straight season. Rodgers has arguably the better defense, although the Chiefs’ defense seems to be a bit better than last season.
Simply put, Patrick Mahomes has to do a tremendous amount on offense for the Chiefs to win games, and while that’s not the best reason for his MVP candidacy, it needs to be said that he threw for more yards than Rodgers in one less game and had just one less pick.
What makes Rodgers case even stronger is that he’s done this all at the age of 37. The ageless wonder has once again led Green Bay to playoff contention, and the top overall seed in the NFC.
Perhaps Patrick Mahomes has the better offense as a whole, but he doesn’t have the luxury of turning around and handing the ball off to Aaron Jones 20 times a game like Rodgers does.
MVP is always one of the tougher awards to pick, as more often than not it seems to go to the player with the better stats. Rodgers has more touchdowns and fewer interceptions, but Patrick Mahomes has more yards. Both of them clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and they just might be on a crash course for the Super Bowl.
What doesn’t bode well for Mahomes case is this: expectations. It was expected that Patrick Mahomes would have an incredible year, but for Rodgers the expectations weren’t there to the same degree. The Packers took Jordan Love to be the heir-apparent to Rodgers, and perhaps he took that personally and made an effort to show the Packers that he can still perform.
Whatever the reason is, Patrick Mahomes deserves the award because the Chiefs have looked like the best team in the NFL for the entire season. He has led the Chiefs to a 14-2 record (and he didn’t play in the second of the two losses). Kansas City is in a perfect position to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.
The question remains: will it be Aaron Rodgers, the two-time MVP coming off one of his best seasons ever, or will it be Patrick Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP who is trying to hoist up his second Lombardi Trophy in as many seasons?
The voting will be as close as ever, and it would be fantastic to see a Patrick Mahomes-Aaron Rodgers matchup in the Super Bowl in February, with everyone watching the dramatic and unusual ending to the NFL’s pandemic season.
