OK, I put it out there. Now it’s time for you all to say what you think.
After watching Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson’s incredible display in the Seahawks’ 30-29 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday at CenturyLink Field, I felt compelled to pen a column advocating Wilson for MVP.
Wilson didn’t put up gigantic numbers that day — his 268 yards passing are considered tame by today’s standards. However, the accuracy of his throws, his ability to make plays on the run, and his decision making resulted in a game in which he completed 74 percent of his throws, averaged 11.7 yard per attempt, tossed four touchdowns and had no interceptions. In NFL passer rating calculations a perfect passer rating is 158.3. Wilson’s passer rating against the Rams was 151.8.
And really, Thursday was just more of the same of what we’ve seen from Wilson this season. Through five games Wilson is leading the NFL in passer rating (126.3) and touchdowns (12), ranks second in completion percentage (73.1) and third in yards per attempt (9.0). He has yet to throw an interception, something only he, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota have accomplished among starting QBs. Because Seattle is a run-first team, Wilson is just 19th in pass attempts (156) and tied for seventh in passing yards (1,409).
So does all that add up to an MVP? Let’s look at the current quarterback frontrunners side by side:
| Name | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rate | Record |
| Russell Wilson (Sea) | 114 | 156 | 73.1 | 1,409 | 9.0 | 12 | 0 | 126.3 | 4-1 |
| Patrick Mahomes (KC) | 128 | 195 | 65.6 | 1,831 | 9.4 | 11 | 0 | 114.7 | 4-1 |
| Deshaun Watson (Hou) | 110 | 159 | 69.2 | 1,364 | 8.6 | 11 | 1 | 115.9 | 3-2 |
| Dak Prescott (Dal) | 119 | 171 | 69.6 | 1,606 | 9.4 | 11 | 6 | 106.0 | 3-2 |
| Tom Brady (NE) | 118 | 187 | 63.1 | 1,409 | 7.5 | 10 | 2 | 99.4 | 5-0 |
There are other players who aren’t quarterbacks who are also worthy of consideration. Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey is currently the runaway league leader in rushing with 587 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and scoring six touchdowns, plus he’s caught 31 passes for 279 yards and another score for the 3-2 Panthers (that’s on pace for more than 2,700 yards from scrimmage, which would be an NFL record). Then there’s Tampa Bay linebacker Shaquil Bennett, who already has an amazing nine sacks on the season for the 2-3 Buccaneers (on pace for 29 sacks, which would also be an NFL single-season record).
Wilson has never been seriously considered for MVP, as he’s never received a single MVP vote during his seven completed seasons in the league. There’s always been a perception that he’s helped by Seattle’s defense, or that he’s too short to be a truly elite quarterback. But what he’s doing now can’t be ignored, can it?
So my question to you this week is where do you think Wilson currently stands in the NFL MVP race? Fill out your ballot here:
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