NFL MVP Results: Why Aaron Rodgers Deserved Coveted Award

There is really only one criterion that matters when it comes to picking the Most Valuable Player in the NFL.

It is winning. Everything else pales by comparison.

The word "valuable’’ in MVP is not necessarily reflected in statistics. It’s reflected in how well that performance meshes with the team concept and produces a winner.

And so it is that Rodgers, the driving force behind the Packers’ 15-1 regular season record, was not just the obvious choice for the award but, really, the only choice.

Other quarterbacks threw for more yards, but no other quarterback—indeed, no other position player anywhere—produced more victories.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Rodgers threw for a staggering total of 45 touchdowns, and did it while throwing just six interceptions. Those led to a 122.5 quarterback rating and that’s an NFL record for quality that will be difficult to be surpassed.

The touchdowns are great, but the fact that Rodgers didn’t turn the ball over is what separated him from New Orleans’ Drew Brees. The Saints’ quarterback threw 14 interceptions. Of those 14, five interceptions came against Tampa Bay (three) and St. Louis (two), and the Buccaneers and the Rams, teams clearly not in the Saints’ class, scored upsets that kept New Orleans from a one-loss season.