The NFL’s MVP won’t be announced until the night before the Super Bowl. For now, the only clues as to who will win it come from the All-Pro team.
The same 50 media members who vote on the All-Pro team vote on the MVP and other postseason awards, so the same thinking that shaped their All-Pro voting will surely influence their thoughts on MVP.
First, cross Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz off the list. Though he finished with more touchdown passes than Tom Brady, and despite the fact that Wentz’s value was highlighted by his absence from his team’s last three games, Brady got 47 of the All-Pro votes at quarterback. Wentz got two.
Second, Rams running back Todd Gurley and Steelers receiver Antonio Brown are viable contenders. Gurley got 46 votes at tailback (he also received one vote at the “flex” position), and Brown was the only unanimous selection, appearing on all 50 ballots.
But since the MVP often is a quarterback award, Brady remains the favorite. We’ll know the answer in 29 days, at a time when most of the focus will be on the Super Bowl, with maybe a little on the new class of Hall of Famers.