Tom Brady favorite for the 2021 MVP award
The ageless wonder that is Tom Brady is showing no signs of slowing down. While leading his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to four straight wins, he has also solidified his position as the number 1 favorite with odds sites like Betsafe for the MVP award.
Tom Brady already has three MVP awards to his name, and if he keeps up this pace until the end of the regular season he should all but secure a fourth one. Brady is already holding the record for being the oldest MVP winner, being 39 years of age when he last took home the award in 2017. He would thus be rewriting the record books once more, being the first winner aged 40 years or older. The record for number of MVP awards will still belong to his rival from many years, Peyton Manning, who claimed no less than five during his illustrious career.
It really is nothing short of incredible seeing the level that Tom Brady is still performing at. He leads the league in passing, and he is the only quarterback through week 14 who has passed for more than 4000 yards (4134 to be precise). His current yards per game of 318.0 is a career high, and with the extra regular season game he is in line to end up with almost 5500 yards passing. That would easily break his previous record of 5235, set in 2011 with the Patriots.
Not surprisingly Brady is also the current touchdown leader, with his 36 passing TDs being only 4 short of his total from last year. His last one, the game-winner to Breshad Perriman in overtime against the Bills, was his 700th career touchdown pass – just another incredible accolade for the GOAT to add to an already long list of records and milestones. If he can hold off a chasing Matthew Stafford (33), it would be the fifth time Brady has led the league in touchdown passes in a single season. No bonus points for guessing that will also be a record.
While Brady is looking like the run-away favorite for the award, he is still facing competition from another veteran passer playing for an NFC rival – namely last year’s MVP winner Aaron Rodgers. After a disastrous season opener, and missing one game due to COVID, Rodgers has reared back into form and led the Packers to the current No. 1 seed in the NFC, just ahead of Brady and the Bucs (both teams currently sit at 10-3).
Despite missing one game Rodgers still finds himself in the top 10 for passing yards, and as always he is doing a great job in avoiding turnovers. His four interceptions is only matched by Russell Wilson for QBs passing for at least 2000 yards this season, a number that is especially impressive considering he had two in the first game in a 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Should Rodgers be able to deliver the goods at the end while Brady falters, he could be the first player since Peyton Manning in 2009 to win the MVP award in back-to-back seasons.
The end of the 2021 NFL season will see these two seasoned signal callers fight for both the NFC top seed and the MVP award, proof that age really is just a number.