Drew Brees Continues His MVP Justification

In a game which solidified Deuce McAllister as the franchise touchdown leader, as well as the greatest running back in New Orleans Saints history, it was quarterback Drew Brees that proved his case for NFL MVP.

Brees completed 20 of 26 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the 51-29 win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.  He currently leads the league in passing yards with 3,574, and has more passing yards in the first 11 games than anyone in NFL history.  Brees is on pace to break Dan Marino's record of 5,084 yards in a single season.

To surpass the record, Brees needs to average 302.2 yards in the last five games of the season.  So far, he is averaging just under 325 yards a game.  At that pace, Brees would finish with almost 5,200 yards passing for the year and shatter Marino's record season from 1984.

Unfortunately, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is also having a MVP season.  He is second behind Brees in passing yards with 3,506 and third behind Brees in touchdowns. Warner does, however, have a better completion percentage, more completions, attempts, a better passer rating, and fewer interceptions than Brees.

Warner is playing for the eventual division champion with a record of 7-4, whereas Brees is fighting for a playoff spot with a 6-5 record.  In a league which rewards its players for reaching the playoffs, it could come down to whether or not Brees can guide the Saints into the postseason in order to win his first league MVP. 

Though, if Brees is able to keep pace and break the single season passing record that has stood for almost a quarter of a century, it would be tough not to give him the award.  If the Saints can stay in the playoff race late in the season, as they have done every year with Brees, he will receive the accolade which has been just out of his reach the past two seasons.

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