It is that glorious time of year where we football fans can speculate and predict the future season’s standout performances.
Anything we think is not wrong, yet.
So the latest item to ponder is who will be the NFL MVP in 2021?
Could Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes be the runaway MVP favorite for 2021?
Without a doubt Mahomes is a great quarterback and a super talent.
Yes, he is a candidate to win the 2021 NFL MVP award, but he is not a runaway candidate.
Throwback to Patrick Mahomes scoring more all-purpose TDs than anyone in a single postseason in NFL history.
He didn’t even play the Wild Card game 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZtRJTGeUSA
— CHIEFS HIGHLIGHTS (@ChiefsHighlight) April 20, 2021
Here’s why.
1. He Didn’t Win It In 2020
It is not as though we are considering him for back-to-back honors.
Aaron Rodgers was last season’s MVP.
Aaron Rodgers wins his third NFL MVP award.
Bad man 🏆 @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/myQQd56QZg
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 7, 2021
For that matter, Mahomes did not win it in 2019; Lamar Jackson did.
Mahomes won the award in 2018.
2018 remains his best season statistically.
He passed for over 5,000 yards and threw 50 touchdown passes.
2. He Faces Stiff Competition
While quarterbacks have been frontrunners in earning the NFL MVP award in recent years, there are many outstanding NFL quarterbacks that could earn the honor with an excellent 2021 season.
Previous winners like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Lamar Jackson are possibilities.
Russell Wilson has never won the award but could be deserving of it also in 2021.
Newer faces who are ascending are also viable candidates.
They include: Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, and Justin Herbert.
A running back has not won the award since Adrian Peterson did it in 2012.
Derrick Henry has been overlooked in previous years but has been a stalwart for the Titans and the NFL rushing leader two straight years (2019 and 2020).
3. He Is Coming Off Of An Injury
Not much was made of it, but the turf toe injury Mahomes suffered in the divisional playoff game against the Cleveland Browns was significant.
It hindered his usually fluid and flawless footwork and overall mobility in the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay.
And it was significant enough to require offseason surgery just days after the Super Bowl.
Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid provided a recent update on Mahomes’ post-surgical progress.
“Pat’s doing tremendous, getting great flexibility in that toe. He’s worked his tail off. Not a real fun thing to do with that, it seems like a small thing but that toe is rather large and stiff before the surgery and after the surgery. So he’s really worked hard at getting that right.”
Mahomes is a young guy who should bounce back quickly, but that is not a trivial injury especially for a mobile quarterback.
Even if Mahomes does not win the NFL MVP award in 2021, he is only 25 years old and is expected to win more over the course of his career.
Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have each won the award three times, and Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning was named NFL MVP five times.
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