It shouldn't surprise anybody, Peyton Manning is currently the fan favorite to win the NFL MVP Award. It will be a tough race to the end of the season as Week 17 will put a lid on the football regular season, but Manning has to watch out for Adrian Peterson.
Peterson is making a charge on the field for the NFL's single-season rushing record while also leading a charge behind the Denver Bronco quarterback.
As we speak, Manning has received 40 percent of the votes and Peterson has 39 percent.
[Close to 200,000 fans have voted. See for yourself and help your favorite player get voted]
Manning has led the Broncos back into the playoffs, but this time, they controlled their destiny the entire way. They are currently winners of 10 straight and are by far the hottest team in the NFL.
Manning probably should have won the MVP last season since he proved to be the difference. Right, he didn't play last season, so there was no way of building a legit case for Manning in the MVP race, but he proved to be the most valuable part in the Colts team.
Just like Peterson, who bounced back from a horrific knee injury last season, Manning came back from neck surgery. Many wondered if he was going to ever be the same player, but it didn't take long for Manning to prove that a year away from football wouldn't stop him from still being a dominant quarterback.
So far in the season, Manning is sixth in passing with 4,355 yards, third in TD passes with 34 and has thrown for 213 first downs, sixth in the NFL.
Peterson is making a great bid for MVP because he is the heart and soul of the Minnesota Vikings' offense.
Their passing game isn't all that, so Peterson drives the team. He has 1,878 rushing yards and 11 TDs. The rushing yards gives him the most in the league while the touchdown total has him in a three-way tie for 2nd place among running backs.
It will be an interesting race down the stretch. Peterson is trying to get his Vikings into the playoffs, while Manning is trying to get his Broncos the first seed in the AFC.
Other guys considered for the MVP race are three quarterbacks Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. All of these guys have less than 10 percent of votes.
