NFL MVP rankings: Aaron Rodgers might be playing for another MVP in Week 17

There have been four players in NFL history to win MVP at least three times: Peyton Manning (who won five), Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas and Brett Favre. Pretty good list.

There’s a chance another player enters the club this season, though we can’t be sure who. There are two possibilities.

Four candidates have emerged in the MVP race. A few weeks ago it was three, but then the Green Bay Packers got red hot and Aaron Rodgers entered. Rodgers and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, both two-time MVPs, are among the four. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott are the other two.

I don’t know that Rodgers should win, but with one more big performance I think he can sway the voters.

Rodgers would need to lead the Packers to a Week 17 win to win MVP. That would give the Packers the NFC North title. He also needs to play well in that Packers win, though those two things usually go hand-in-hand. If he has a big game in a win, the narrative will be clear – Rodgers, one of the most well-known and respected players in the NFL, drags the Packers back from a 4-6 start to win six straight and take the division title after Rodgers’ “run the table” prediction. And he’d be capping it off with a win on “Sunday Night Football” against the Detroit Lions in a winner-take-all showdown that everyone will be watching.

If all of that comes together, the draw to vote for Rodgers will be strong. The numbers line up pretty well against the other quarterbacks in the race, too.

Rodgers: 4,128 yards, 65.5 completion percentage, 36 TDs, 7 INTs, 102.7 rating
Brady (11 games): 3,278 yards, 66.7 completion percentage, 25 TDs, 2 INTs, 110.7 rating
Ryan: 4,613 yards, 69.5 completion percentage, 34 TDs, 7 INTs, 115.5 rating

And voters won’t have a real reason to not vote for Rodgers, while the other three have some strikes against them. Brady missed four games, and no MVP has ever missed more than three. Elliott has two strikes against him: He’s a rookie, and he’s not a quarterback (I talked about the history of that here). Ryan hasn’t done anything wrong, but he had preconceptions against him before the season started. I’m not sure how many votes, if any, that might cost him, but let’s be honest and ask yourself: Are voters really going to vote for Ryan over Brady or Rodgers?

It seems to be aligning well for Rodgers. He has a chance to make a great final impression in Week 17’s biggest game. If the Packers win and he plays well, the “Rodgers for MVP” pull will get stronger. He has a chance to make some history on Sunday night, in more ways than one.

Here’s the MVP ballot going into Week 17, and the rankings for our other awards:

1. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan – This ranking would be how I would vote through 16 weeks. Ryan has been remarkable all season. The next three are all fine choices – this is a really wide open race, and you can make a good case for any of the top four – but I think Ryan has earned it. I just don’t know if he’ll be able to beat out the bigger names who are also in the race.

2. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady – I don’t know that anyone is playing at a higher level. However, it has to be factored in that he missed four games, even if it was due to a bogus suspension. It’s hard to vote for Brady’s 11 games over Ryan’s 15, because they’ve both been great.

3. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott – You have to love Elliott’s consistency. I won’t waste time talking about how Dallas’ offensive line should win, because it can’t and it’s not worth the discussion. I don’t think you can hold Elliott’s great line against him though, because MVPs shouldn’t be decided on how good or bad someone’s teammates are. You simply have to respect Elliott’s monster production and how the Cowboys have built a 13-2 team around him running the ball.

4. Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers – If the Packers win on Sunday, there will be a valid argument for him. But it’s worth noting that Rodgers was merely very good through nine games (three great games, three good-to-average games, three below average-to-poor games) while Ryan has been consistently good all season.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell – I’ve been putting five candidates on the list all season, and will continue to do so even though we’re realistically down to four now. Bell has had a great season. I just can’t see anyone voting for him – or David Johnson, Matthew Stafford, Odell Beckham, Derek Carr or anyone else – over the four already mentioned.

Defensive player of the year: I’d still vote for Von Miller, even though the Broncos are out of the playoffs. That’s certainly not his fault. He’s the best defensive player in football this season.

The ballot: 1. Denver Broncos OLB Von Miller. 2. Oakland Raiders DE Khalil Mack. 3. New York Giants S Landon Collins.

Coach of the year: Nothing has changed for me here. Bill Belichick is still the best coach and he deserves the award if the Patriots get the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The ballot: 1. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. 2. Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett. 3. Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio.

Offensive rookie of the year: Jordan Howard had 67 yards on 12 carries going into Week 4. Now he has 1,476 yards from scrimmage. He’s obviously not cracking the top two in this award, but he has had a really good rookie season.

The ballot: 1. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott. 2. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. 3. Chicago Bears RB Jordan Howard.

Defensive rookie of the year: Two more sacks for Joey Bosa last week brings his total to 9.5, and he has only played 11 games. Hard to deny that. He might be a near-unanimous pick.

The ballot: 1. San Diego Chargers DE Joey Bosa. 2. Atlanta Falcons S Keanu Neal. 3. Atlanta Falcons LB Deion Jones.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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