NFL MVP 2015: Candidates, Final Predictions and More for Coveted Award

The most coveted—and usually most heavily debated—award will be up for grabs Saturday as the NFL will announce its Most Valuable Player in the league.

While Peyton Manning ran away with the MVP award a year ago thanks to his record-breaking season, this season features many more players with a legitimate argument after fantastic years. Not only quarterbacks but running backs, receivers and defensive players all deserve consideration after putting up impressive numbers for their respective teams.

In other years, Super Bowl participants like Tom Brady and Marshawn Lynch would be among the top contenders. Pittsburgh Steelers stars Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown also merit praise after putting up huge numbers, and fantasy owners would certainly vote for each of them.

However, here is a look at the true top contenders for the award with a prediction for who will come out on top.

Top Candidates

DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys

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It's difficult to find too many players who had as dominant a year as DeMarco Murray. The running back was a consistent force for one of the top teams in the NFL, rushing for a league-leading 1,845 yards this season.

His rushing total was 484 more yards than Bell, who was second in the league in this category.

Adding in his 416 receiving yards, and it's clear Murray has capped off one of the best seasons a running back has ever had.

The problem is a lot of the credit for these numbers has to go to the offensive line, which was arguably the best in the NFL this season. Murray is also not necessarily the best MVP candidate on his own team.

When asked about Tony Romo as an MVP, owner Jerry Jones stated his case, via Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas:

"

He certainly is in my book. [...]

Yes, he is, because [DeMarco] Murray has certainly carried his share, but Tony's quarterbacking this year was indispensable. We couldn't have had the team, and we have a team that probably right now is in the top four or five teams in the league. That's pretty good qualification of the vote.

"

Romo led the NFL in both quarterback rating and Total QBR for a team that went 12-4. Two MVP candidates on one team pretty much makes both less valuable as neither will likely finish in the top two for the award.

J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans

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There hasn't been a defensive MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986, but J.J. Watt has done everything he can to break this streak.

Despite being at a position that doesn't usually put up stats, the Houston Texan finished with 20.5 sacks to go with 78 tackles and 10 passes defended, each of which were the best among defensive linemen.

Watt also scored two touchdowns from the defensive side of the ball and three more as a receiver. Pro Football Reference rated the player as the most valuable in the NFL, via Bleacher Report's Bryn Swartz:

Although the Texans weren't able to make the playoffs, they did finish at 9-7 after going 2-14 the year prior. This was all without a legitimate starting quarterback over the course of the season.

Even though he doesn't play offense, Watt has a legitimate argument for being the most valuable in the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

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The Green Bay Packers had a bunch of talent this season, but it was Aaron Rodgers who brought the team together with his outstanding play.

After a 1-2 start to the year, Green Bay turned everything around to win 11 of the last 13 games of the regular season. Rich Eisen of NFL Network (via The MMQB) discussed his calm at the start of the season as a reason for him to win MVP:

"

I went with Rodgers over Watt merely because Rodgers played as flawlessly at his position over a 10-week stretch as I’ve ever seen. Plus, for a quarterback to directly address his fan base in this social-media-driven, long-time-listener-first-time-caller-laden day and age and telling them to relax, it makes his play the greatest walking of the walk I’ve ever seen.

"

Meanwhile, the Packers were simply unbeatable at home as Rodgers' 25 touchdowns with zero interceptions helped them finish 8-0 at Lambeau Field. 

Considering how much Green Bay fell apart last season with the quarterback on the sidelines, it's clear how valuable Rodgers really has been for this franchise. His play at the sport's most demanding position is certainly worth a vote for the MVP.

Predicted Winner: J.J. Watt

As good as Rodgers has been for his team, he didn't do enough of a job to separate himself from other quarterbacks around the league. As previously mentioned, Romo led the league in the efficiency stats while others had better years in terms of yards and touchdowns.

On the other hand, Watt was clearly the best at his position and easily the top defensive player in the league.

A quarterback has an important role on the team, but there are certainly backups capable of stepping in and keeping the team afloat in the event of an injury (see: Arizona Cardinals). If Watt was injured, it would likely send the Texans into free fall.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller believes Watt will take home some hardware this week:

It would take the voters having an open mind when making their decision, but Watt is the most deserving of this prestigious award.

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