The MVP race in the NFL this season is as interesting as it has been in years.
Last season it was clear Aaron Rodgers would win, while it was no surprise that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning won it in the years before. But this season there is a true race, and surprise, Manning and Brady are involved.
The three-headed race is between the two quarterbacks and Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who is currently having the best season of his six-year professional career.
Peterson has rushed for a league-leading 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns and is averaging a career-best 6.0 yards per carry. He has rushed for over 100-yards in seven straight games and has scored eight touchdowns and averaged 157.3 yards per game over that span.
What makes Peterson even more amazing is that he is just 10 months removed from serious knee surgery after tearing his ACL and MCL last December. After rehabilitation, he looks like he is even stronger than before. If he does end up winning the award, he should dedicate it to his doctors and his knees.
Peterson is within striking distance of Erick Dickerson's all-time rushing record of 2,105 yards and should reach the 2,000 yard barrier this season, something that hasn't been done since Chris Johnson rushed for 2,006 in 2009.
"I'm thinking about it," Peterson said of the 2,000 yards to ESPN.com. "I don't try to think about it too much, but I feel like it will happen. It's obvious we're going to continue to run the ball. I feel like the chips will fall where they may."
If Peterson breaks 2,000 yards, the award should be his. One thing he will have to overcome is the quarterback position.
Quarterbacks have dominated the award over the past 20 years and especially recently, with Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady winning five of the last six MVPs. The last running back to win the award was LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006 for the San Diego Chargers.
Peterson said on Thursday to 1500 ESPN that winning the award would be important to him. "It would mean a lot," he said Thursday to the network. "I work to be the best to play."
The last player that was not a running back or quarterback to win the award was New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986, who is only the second defensive player to win the award. Before that it was kicker Mark Moseley of Washington Redskins in 1982, who is the only special team's player to win the award.
"The quarterbacks kind of get a little leeway at times but the MVP goes to the best player," Peterson said to ESPN 1500 in Minnesota. "You've got to be able to evaluate different situations and who has been performing the best. Not just narrow it down to quarterbacks. That's not right. If that's the case, then you should make it a quarterback only award."
The debate that rages around sports about MVP awards is whether the "best" player in the league should get the award, or if the "most valuable" player should. It can be said that Peyton Manning is valuable because he led his team to the playoffs, but does that make Peterson any less valuable if he doesn't? On top of that, Peterson has been the best player in the NFL this year.
For one thing, Peterson might be even more valuable than either Manning or Brady because he is far and away the best player on his team and the only reason they are sniffing at the playoffs anyway.
Christian Ponder has regressed in his second year as quarterback, meaning teams can crowd the line with eight men in the box to stop Peterson. Also, dynamic receiver Percy Harvin has been injured most of the year, allowing defenses to focus on the run.
Speaking of eight men in the box, Peterson has the second-highest total of carries in the NFL with 79 with that many defenders in the box, which according to ESPN Stats & Information, is just behind Frank Gore, who has 82.
Based on the stats, stacking men in the box hasn't stopped Peterson. He has rushed for 501 yards and scored five touchdowns in those situations.
Both Brady and Manning are leading their teams to the playoffs, while Peterson's Vikings are chasing a Wild Card spot. Even if Peterson's team doesn't make the playoffs, he should still win the award. While playoff success is important, it should not be the defining fact about this MVP race.
The stats don't lie though. Brady and Manning have thrown for 30 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards, which is stellar no doubt, but let's look deeper at Peterson's numbers.
This season he has rushed for 832 yards after contact, which is by far the most of any player in the league. He has also helped his team recover from a 1-5 road record to be 7-6 and just a game out of a Wild Card spot.
"I'm planning on being in the playoffs," Peterson said. "But to answer your question, I don't think (the MVP has to be on a playoff team). Some type of winning record. Not 0-1. But it is what it is. If you're on an undefeated team or a losing team."
Prior to this season Peterson's best numbers came in 2008 when he rushed for 1,760 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing in all 16 games. Last year he had 970 yards and 12 touchdowns before getting hurt. It was his only season he did not rush for 1,000 yards in his career.
To get to 2,000 yards, Peterson will have to average about 135 yards the rest of the way. To get to Dickerson's all-time mark this year, Peterson will need to average nearly 170 yards a game for the last three games of the season.
Peterson has three games left to state his case to voters, but he has three tough games ahead. This Sunday the Vikings take on the St. Louis Rams on the road, then travel to play the Houston Texans before finishing at home against the Green Bay Packers.
This will be one of the most memorable MVP races in years. The last three weeks of the NFL season will decide it all.
Other players that have a shot this year:
-Aldon Smith, San Francisco 49ers, linebacker
-J.J. Watt, Houston Texans, defensive end
-Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions, wide receiver
