Packers' Aaron Rodgers Clear MVP Front-Runner After Dominant Win vs. Bears

"Relax."

That was the word Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spelled out on his weekly radio show on 540 ESPN in Milwaukee after the team got off to a 1-2 start. Since Week 3, the team has gone 5-1 while averaging 37.2 points per game, helping the 30-year-old quarterback not only successfully calm down the fans but also to emerge as the NFL's leading contender for this season's MVP award.

Despite the great play from other players around the league, no other quarterback has been on the same level as Rodgers when it comes to efficiency. Through nine games, Rodgers has already thrown for 2,407 yards, 25 touchdowns and just three interceptions, posting an unreal 120.1 passer rating.

Year	Player	Rating
2011	Aaron Rodgers	122.5
2004	Peyton Manning	121.1
2014*	Aaron Rodgers	120.1
2013	Nick Foles	119.2
2007	Tom Brady	117.2

If the season were to end right now, that passer rating would go as the third-highest in NFL history, with the only two higher seasons coming from Rodgers in 2011 and Peyton Manning in 2004. Manning and Rodgers each won the MVP award the year they set the record. 

Rodgers' numbers would be even more eye-opening if it weren't for his three unfortunate interceptions. The argument could be made that none of those turnovers were his fault, as all three passes hit Packers receivers in the hands.

That's as close to perfect as it can get for an NFL quarterback.

Sunday night's performance in the 55-14 win should have officially put Rodgers as the front-runner for his second career MVP award. Not only did he throw for 315 yards and six touchdowns, but he did it all on just 27 pass attempts, averaging a season-high 11.67 yards per attempt.

Oh, and he did almost all of it in the first half, getting benched after just a couple of drives in the third quarter. His six touchdowns through the first 30 minutes tied an NFL record for most scores through the air in the first half.

ESPN's Field Yates pointed out that Rodgers had just as many incomplete passes as touchdowns in the first two quarters, with the Packers comfortably up 42-0.

The argument can be made for other MVP candidates like DeMarco Murray or Tom Brady, but we saw just recently what the Packers are like without Rodgers under center, with the 30-year-old playing in just nine regular-season games last year due to a broken collarbone. The Packers went just 2-5-1 without him, barely sneaking into the playoffs thanks to a game-winning drive from Rodgers in his first game back.

This season, Rodgers has been just as vital to the team's success as ever. The Packers have needed him to, as they continue to fight with the Detroit Lions for the top spot in the NFC North. Offensively, the team hasn't had the same running game it had in 2013, with Eddie Lacy breaking 100 yards rushing just once all year.

But that hasn't stopped Rodgers from imposing his will on opposing defenses. The Packers have averaged 30.8 points per game, good for third in the league behind the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots.

The Packers still have some tough games left on the schedule against the Philadelphia Eagles, Patriots and Lions, but if Rodgers can continue to play at this ridiculous level and the team can secure a playoff spot, then the former quarterback that slipped to No. 24 overall in the 2005 NFL draft will have already won two MVP awards, which is two more than anyone else in that draft could claim to have.