Written By: Cameron Schoffro
Edited By: Colin Mari
"There's no clear-cut MVP favourite this year," seems to be the general sentiment spouted by NFL media members right now. As a result, the narrative has been twisted in Tom Brady’s favour. The 44-year-old GOAT winning another MVP in his 22nd season is probably the most exciting story, thus, it has gained a lot of traction. Even further, a running back, Jonathan Taylor, has entered the race, even though MVP is essentially a quarterback award. However, the narrative is being directed in the wrong direction, Aaron Rodgers is the most valuable player.
Rodgers is in the bad graces of all NFL journalists after he misled them with comments about his 'immunization', which has taken away from his campaign for his 4th MVP award. Also, voter fatigue is a legitimate factor in determining between candidates. Since he is the reigning MVP, voters are essentially bored of his excellence and looking to drum up a story elsewhere. Voter fatigue is a universal phenomenon across all sports. For example, LeBron James has been the most valuable player in the NBA for over 15 years, yet he has only won four MVPs only because it would be boring to award it to the same player every year.
There have been two games that have especially proved how valuable Aaron is to Green Bay:
While Rodgers' vaccination debacle has found himself in the bad books of journalists, ironically the game he missed due to contracting COVID-19 provided the strongest argument in his favour. In week 9, the Packers' heir to the throne, Jordan Love, made Green Bay's offence resemble that of a lottery team. Without Aaron, the Packers were held scoreless until the final moments of the game when Love finally scored a touchdown. Leading up to this game, the Chiefs were reeling, as exemplified by only scoring 13 points themselves in this game. The lacklustre performance by Jordan Love was enough to turn Kansas City's fortunes, as they're undefeated since then. If Rodgers was playing, Green Bay would have won this game and proven their dominance against another Super Bowl contender.
In the offseason, there was much uncertainty about Rodgers' future in Green Bay, whether they were going to trade him or he was going to retire was unknown, but it truly didn’t appear he was coming back. Eventually, he decided to return, but if Rodgers left the Packers and Jordan Love was at the helm all season, the Packers would be one of the worst teams in the NFL, rather than the top-seed and Super Bowl favourite. He is the leader of the team and his incredible consistency keeps them in every single game.
The other critical game in Rodgers’ MVP case was when his favourite target Davante Adams, and the next receiver in line, Allen Lazard, were both placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the game. Green Bay went to Arizona to take on the 7-0, league-leading, Cardinals. The Packers did the unthinkable and beat Arizona; Rodgers took his band of misfit receivers and made a competent offence. Games like this prove that counting stats miss the nuance and overall context of a game; Rodgers' stat line read 22/37 for 184 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. These numbers, alone, don't pop off the page, but when examining the full scope of the game, Rodgers was fantastic and willed his team to a win.
In Tampa Bay's most recent game, Brady was thrust into a similar situation. The Buccaneers were facing the New Orleans Saints, a much worse opponent than Arizona, when he was missing his top four weapons: Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Leonard Fournette, and Antonio Brown were all missed time due to injury or suspension. How did Brady elevate his backup receivers? He didn't. Brady was shut out for the first time since 2006. When comparing Green Bay and Tampa Bay's offences, it is clear that Rodgers is the playmaker for the Packers, but the receivers are the playmakers for Tampa Bay. Rodgers can singlehandedly beat a league-leading team, but Brady needs help to beat a below .500 team.
While Rodgers is surrounded by a good roster, he certainly doesn't have as much help as Brady in Tampa Bay. Brady has the best receiver room in the league, a stellar offensive line and the best front seven in the league on their defence. Meanwhile, injury has decimated Green Bay's offensive line. David Bakhtiari, the best left tackle in the NFL, has missed nearly the entire season, then his backup Elgton Jenkins got hurt, so they were on to the third string. Their rookie centre, Josh Myers, underwent knee surgery in November, but the Packers offence hasn't missed a beat regardless of these injuries. If anything, they seem to be getting better every week.
Aaron’s greatness matches the eye test. He is a savant of football, seemingly knowing the coverage better than his opponents and pulling off throws only he is capable of. The MVP award does not, and should not simply go to the player with the most yards and touchdowns. Sure, Brady leads Rodgers in those categories, but he turns the ball over at a much higher rate than Aaron, while in a better situation. Full context is vital in determining who is most valuable to their team and using the full scope of their seasons, it’s clear Rodgers is the MVP.
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