Packers' Aaron Rodgers Tops Colts' Jonathan Taylor for 2021 NFL MVP Award by Execs
December 23, 2021
A group of NFL executives believe Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be named the league MVP.
In a survey of 23 high-ranking personnel by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Rodgers beat out Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor for the award by an 11-8 voting margin.
As most of the other top quarterbacks who have been in the MVP conversation have stumbled recently, Rodgers has caught fire over the past four weeks.
The 38-year-old is averaging 325.3 passing yards per game with a 70.6 completion percentage, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions since Week 11. Green Bay is averaging 35.8 points per game during that span.
For the season, Rodgers leads the NFL in ESPN's QBR metric (67.3), is tied for fifth in the NFL in touchdown passes (30) and seventh in completion percentage (67.8). He has the lowest interception rate among all qualified quarterbacks (0.9 percent).
"I'd love to not say he's the guy, because he's easy to root against," one NFC team executive told Pelissero, "but f--king Aaron Rodgers, [he's] amazing."
The Colts' ascent to AFC playoff contenders has coincided with Taylor turning into a superstar.
After being held to a total of 171 rushing yards through the first three games of the season, Taylor is averaging 122.5 yards per game on the ground and has scored 19 total touchdowns (17 rushing) since Week 4.
Taylor has eight 100-yard rushing games this season, including at least 170 yards three times since Week 9. The Colts are 8-0 when he hits the century mark and 0-6 when he doesn't.
If Rodgers wins the award, he would join Peyton Manning as the only players in NFL history with at least four MVPs. He would also be the first player since Manning—the all-time leader with five MVPs—in 2008 and 2009 to win it in back-to-back seasons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was the only other player to receive two votes in the survey. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert each received one vote.