There are many deserving candidates for the NFL’s MVP award. However, some names seem to stand out in particular. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson seems to be the favorite now. This lead was cemented after his spectacular season that was highlighted by beating previous front-runner, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, 33-19 on Christmas Day at Levi’s Stadium. During the regular season, Jackson compiled 24 touchdown passes to 7 interceptions, while throwing for 3,678 passing yards. He also finished with 5 rushing touchdowns and 821 rushing yards. Most impressively, however, Jackson led the Ravens to a 13-4 record, making them the best team in AFC and guaranteeing the home-field advantage for the playoffs. This is the second time Jackson has led the Ravens to the number one seed in the AFC playoffs, as well as his third NFC North division title. It will be the fifth time he has led the Ravens to the playoffs in the last six years. Lamar Jackson was crowned MVP in 2019, and it will be interesting to see if he gets the award a second time. Jack Santonelli ’26 thinks that “Lamar Jackson has to win the MVP this year, given his dominant performance and the fact that he led the Ravens to the best team in the league.”
According to Fox Sports, the player with the second-highest MVP odds is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Despite his chances of winning the award significantly plummeting after his 4-interception performance in the loss to Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, Brock Purdy has had a tremendous season. He has thrown for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions while also leading the league in quarterback rating. After being selected by the 49ers with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and replacing an injured Jimmy Garropolo, Purdy has cemented himself as an elite quarterback, as he led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game last year and led them to a 12-5 record this year and the number one seed in the NFC.
Additionally, Brock Purdy’s teammate, running back Christian McCaffrey, has had a fantastic regular season. In the regular season, McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards with 1,459 and finished fourth in rushing touchdowns with 14. McCaffrey also caught 7 touchdowns and had 564 receiving yards on the season. However, a running back has not won the MVP award since 2012, so many are skeptical that McCaffrey will win this year because of this trend.
Finally, although his odds to win MVP are low, Tyreek Hill has had an amazing season. Hill led the league in receiving yards with 1,799 and in receiving touchdowns with 13, and finished second in receptions with 119, all despite missing one game with an ankle injury. Tyreek Hill set a career record for receiving yards this year, and his amazing season also places him 7th on the all-time list. However, similar to Christian McCaffrey’s situation, it is unlikely that the NFL will award the MVP to a wide receiver or running back. However, both Hill and McCaffrey are two of the top candidates for the NFL’s offensive player of the year award.
