Welcome in to the 2019 NFL MVP Watch, where I will be taking a look around the landscape of the MVP race in the NFL this season. This is pretty much the same thing as my Heisman Watch, sooooo…like, do I want to spend a lot of time on an intro?
Shit, I guess I will for the uninitiated – each week, I will count down the five most MVP-worthy performances of the week and offer up my reasoning for each ranking. You finish first, you get five points. Second is four, so on and so forth. I will keep the season point totals going at the bottom of the article and at the end of the season, whoever has the most points gets the 2019 SoBros Network NFL MVP “honors.”
2019 NFL MVP WATCH: WEEK 9
5. Josh Jacobs, Raiders RB – I had a really hard time taking Deshaun Watson off the list this week, but man – I can’t get over how well the Oakland Raiders are performing with Jacobs out of the backfield. The dude had 28 carries…28 CARRIES…against the Detroit Lions (120 yards, two touchdowns), he should be running away with Offensive Rookie of the Year, and I don’t think he’s being talked about enough in the larger MVP discussion. Very impressive season, rookie or otherwise.
4. Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers QB – Handsome Jimmy G played about as hot as one can get against the Arizona Cardinals, and the Niners needed every bit of it to remain undefeated. That’s how we define value, folks. Garoppolo went 28/37 for 317 yards and four touchdowns for a 136.9 passer rating (the highest of the week).
3. Christian McCaffrey, Panthers RB – The Titans talked all week about having to stop McCaffrey. How did that work out for them? 146 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, with three catches for 23 yards and a score through the air. McCaffrey continues to be one of the most dynamic offensive football players in the league.
2. Lamar Jackson, Ravens QB – Man, how much did Jackson wreck the New England Patriots? Or, are you one of the conspiracy theorists out there that think Belichick just threw a bunch of different looks at Jackson to see how he’d respond? Playing the long game, if you will – regardless, Jackson showed out in the Ravens biggest game of the season. Jackson went 17/23 for 163 yards and a touchdown, with 61 yards and two scores on the ground.
1. Russell Wilson, Seahawks QB – The Seahawks needed some more of Wilson’s magic to survive Tampa Bay in overtime, but that’s just what they got. This is an incredibly narrow race between Wilson and McCaffrey now in my mind. Relying on miracle plays from Wilson isn’t an effective strategy for the Seahawks to win a Super Bowl, but they just may luck into it if Wilson keeps playing so undeniably. He was 29/43 for 378 yards and FIVE touchdowns. He’s on pace for 44 total touchdowns this season.
UPDATED NFL MVP WATCH POINTS STANDINGS
24. Nick Chubb, Chase Edmonds, Sammy Watkins – 1
20. Sam Darnold, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, Jimmy Garoppolo, – 2
15. Shaq Barrett, Mike Evans, Josh Jacobs, Julio Jones, Marlon Mack – 3
10. J.C. Jackson, Aaron Jones, Daniel Jones, Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford – 4
8. Dalvin Cook, Deshaun Watson – 5
7. Dak Prescott – 6
6. Kirk Cousins – 7
5. Aaron Rodgers – 10
4. Patrick Mahomes – 12
3. Lamar Jackson – 13
2. Russell Wilson – 15
1. Christian McCaffrey – 16
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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