NFL MVP Watch 2010: Where Does Michael Vick Rank?
The race for the NFL's MVP is a competitive one.
There is a group of about six for whom fans could all make convincing arguments. Somewhere near the top is Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, who leads the Eagles (9-4) into a key NFC East showdown today with the New York Giants (9-4).
Vick's story has been one of the highlights of the season this year in the NFL. The Eagles began the year with Kevin Kolb as their starter, but switched to Vick when Kolb suffered a concussion early on. Since then, Vick has been remarkable and developed an incredible chemistry with DeSean Jackson that was evident in Philadelphia's 30-27 win at Dallas.
"I've gotten a lot better throwing the ball on the run," Vick said. "Here, I just try to make sure I'm as accurate as can be and put our receivers in the best position to get yards after the catch. Like I said, they do a great job of uncovering, they do a great job of finding holes and lanes in the defense—and making the plays when we need them. I think it's important that I'm accurate when I'm outside of the pocket, and whether I'm inside the pocket."
A win today would bolster Vick's MVP chances obviously. Where does he rank heading into the game? Time to find out...
10. QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh
1 of 10
Roethlisberger missed the start of the season due to a suspension, but the Steelers still started strong.
Pittsburgh (10-3) is in first in the AFC North thanks in part to Roethlisberger, who's passed for 2,336 yards and 13 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
You have to give him a little MVP consideration especially after the rematch with Baltimore, when he played with an injured foot and a broken nose and still passed for 253 yards.
9. QB Jay Cutler, Chicago
2 of 10
The guy has had absolutely zero blocking and been sacked 43 times. But he's still managed to throw for 2,697 yards and 17 touchdowns, and helped the Bears (9-4) climb to first in the NFC North.
He was held to 152 yards and no touchdowns in last week's 36-7 loss to New England, but has big wins over Green Bay and Philadelphia. Against the Eagles, he went toe-to-toe with Michael Vick, completing 14 of 21 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns—with no picks—in a 31-26 win.
Is he an MVP favorite? Of course not. But Cutler deserves some respect.
8. QB Matt Cassel, Kansas City
3 of 10
Kansas City (8-5) would definitely not be first in the AFC West if it weren't for Cassel, who has thrown for 2,503 yards and 23 touchdowns.
He missed last week's rematch with San Diego after having his appendix taken out. This year Cassel has finally found a big No.1 go-to option in Dwayne Bowe, and the two have developed an incredible chemistry.
One note about Cassel: He had just one interception over a nine-game span this year and only four on the season.
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7. QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
4 of 10
Indianapolis would currently be eyeing the lottery in next year's NFL Draft if they didn't have Manning.
The Colts have had no running game to speak of, and Manning has carried the offense. He's the NFL's second-leading passer with 4,028 yards and is averaging 310 yards per game.
At times, though, he has hurt his team trying to do too much, as his 15 interceptions prove.
6. QB Philip Rivers, San Diego
5 of 10
Rivers has completed 309 of 464 passes (66.6 percent) for a league-best 4,141 yards and 29 touchdowns. He's also helped San Diego (8-6) remain in the playoff hunt, despite losing LaDainian Tomlinson in the offseason and not having Vincent Jackson for most the year. In spite of that, the Chargers offense has been dominant, averaging just under 398 total yards and nearly 28 points per game.
You want your MVP candidates to shine in big games, and Rivers has done that: He was 19-of-23 passing for 185 yards in San Diego's 36-14 win at Indianapolis, finished with 226 yards and two touchdowns last week against Kansas City, and completed 34 of 50 passes for 336 yards in San Diego's 23-20 loss to New England earlier this year.
Could you put Rivers up higher? Sure. But two losses to Oakland also hurt him as well.
5. QB Drew Brees, New Orleans
6 of 10
The Saints have been the hunted this year, and Brees has had to function without any sort of a running game to really speak of. New Orleans (10-3), however, is averaging 386 total yards per game (including just over 101 yards rushing) and is sitting right behind Atlanta in the NFC South standings.
Brees is third in the NFL in passing with 3,855 yards and could add to his MVP chances with a strong showing today against Baltimore. He's already had a big win this year over Pittsburgh, but his best game perhaps came against a pesky Dallas team on Thanksgiving Day when he rallied the team to a 30-27 victory that was capped by a game-winning 12-yard touchdown pass to Lance Moore with 1:55 left.
Brees finished 23-of-39 passing with one touchdown and one interception for 352 yards.
I could put him higher, but let's see how he does when the Saints play at Atlanta on Dec.27.
4. RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
7 of 10
Jones-Drew is the league's second-best rusher with 1,278 yards. Look at who he's ahead of and you'll see names like Michael Turner, Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson and Ray Rice.
Jones-Drew has rushed for 100 yards in six straight games, during which the Jaguars have gone 5-1. In that span, the Jaguars have also averaged a league-best 193 yards rushing. In a 17-6 win over Tennessee, Jones-Drew had 31 carries for 186 yards, which is the second-best outing in the NFL this year.
Jacksonville (8-5) is playing Indianapolis (7-6) today for the AFC South title. A big game today could help Jones-Drew maybe inch his way up this list, but it could be hard to crack into the top three.
3. QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta
8 of 10
It's incredible to think that in just three years since he arrived from Boston College that Ryan is already one of the league's elite quarterbacks. He has completed 300 of 475 passes for 3,147 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ryan is only one of two quarterbacks to lead a team to an 11-2 record.
Judge him on big games, and Ryan has shined: He had 228 yards and two touchdowns in Atlanta's 27-24 overtime win against New Orleans, passed for 316 yards against Baltimore, and had 197 yards in a 20-17 win over Green Bay.
Ryan has certainly been helped by having Michael Turner in the backfield. I can't put Ryan any higher, but it could definitely shift if the Falcons meet Philadelphia and Michael Vick in the playoffs.
2. QB Michael Vick, Philadelphia
9 of 10
You always knew Vick could run, but this year he's shown off his arm.
Vick has completed 187 of 294 passes for 2,513 yards and 17 touchdowns, with just four interceptions. He also has 82 carries for 483 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, and has the league's third-best quarterback rating (104.3). Under Vick, Philadelphia's offense is averaging 402.8 total yards and 28.8 points per game.
You could pick out plenty of top performances by Vick, but among them are the Chicago game, when he completed 29 of 44 passes for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Teams know what to expect from Vick, but so far they really haven't been able to shut him down completely. Last week against Dallas, he didn't get free to run, but still finished with 270 yards passing.
1. QB Tom Brady, New England
10 of 10
He's thrown for 3,398 yards, has the league's top quarterback rating (109.9) and is leading a Patriots team right now that is unbeatable.
Their game against the New York Jets was supposed to be a showdown of superpowers. What happened? New England shredded them 45-3.
Maybe Chicago would give the Patriots a test? Not so much. In snowy, awful conditions, Brady completed 27 of 40 passes for 369 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 36-7 win.
In his last eight games, he's thrown for 19 touchdowns and no interceptions. For those keeping track, he is up to 268 straight passes without a pick.
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