Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the midway MVP

I cannot remember the last time it happened but the leader for NFL’s Most Valuable Player has to be Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Technically the NFL midway point was halftime of this weekend’s game but we will make do with this 17 game schedule.

When the season started, it appeared as if Dak would come in second to a Kyler Murray-led Arizona team that was the last standing undefeated team. Kyler looked mortal in his last start and has missed the last two games due to injury which has slowly pushed him out of the race.

Murray can still get back and jump into the MVP race but his playing status this weekend is dependent on his injury. A tightening playoff chase amongst the league’s elite for the number one seed might force him into action early. They face a desperate Seattle team whose prideful quarterback might not allow his team to fade into the 2021 season sunset. I wonder how much rust Murray will have upon his return.

Kyler Murray and Prescott are currently the only starting quarterbacks in the NFL who possess a completion percentage above 70%. Murray’s is a bit higher than Dak’s but Dak has more passing yards, more touchdown passes, and has fewer interceptions.

Now if you are into stats to prove your quarterback is the NFL’s MVP then Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has to be your guy. He leads the league in passing yards as he is the only quarterback that has broken the 3000-yard passing barrier so far this season. He is also third in passing touchdowns this season with 24.

Stafford should be the leader when you look at his statistics on paper but two bad games in a row for him put him in the backseat for this award. Where your team places in the standings have a lot to do with how people vote and Stafford’s Rams aren’t even the best team in their own division.

It might not be fair but until the Rams overtake the Cardinals in the division, Stafford will be a guy that has a shot at the award but will be taken down a peg because of that fact. I might be in the minority but Rams wideout Cooper Kupp has some MVP momentum.

The only issue with the Rams having two MVP candidates is one player will take away votes from the other. Sorry but I think Stafford is behind Prescott for this award. It might be beneficial for the Rams to take the division lead so that statement can be used against Kyler Murray.

So if those three guys are behind Dak Prescott, who is even or ahead of him?

That question is very tricky but I believe I have answers for everyone. I think Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers was in a great position to repeat as the NFL’s MVP. Rodgers has fewer passing yards than Dak even though he has thrown the ball more. His completion percentage of 66% is good but is clearly behind Dak’s 70%.

Just for comparison, Prescott has the record for the highest completion percentage of any rookie quarterback with a 68.7 completion percentage. Rodgers also has three fewer passing touchdowns than Dak’s 20 but he only has four interceptions compared to Dak’s five.

If the season ended today, Rodgers and the Packers would be the number one seed in the NFC simply because they have not had their bye. Both teams have two losses just like every other elite team in the league so I would consider their records a push.

I just do not think the NFL wants to hand Aaron Rodgers their MVP trophy to a guy who used word games with the media to deceive people. I’m almost positive that the NFL knew of his Covid vaccination status yet they did nothing to curb his maskless antics.

I assume the NFL’s stance on unvaccinated players only applies to those who do not play quarterback. Rodgers was fined less for that infraction than Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb was for his Week 4 uniform violation.

A player with fewer accolades would probably have been made an example if he would have pulled the same stunt Rodgers did. The NFL MVP in my view is someone who not only leads headlines on the field but carries himself as a professional off of it.

So the only player that I would consider even with Prescott is Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady. Brady has the head-to-head win but the Cowboys have a better record. Brady has 2870 passing yards which is 529 more than Prescott. Brady also has seven more touchdown passes than Dak but has seven interceptions to along with it.

Brady is on a tear but Dak plays a more complete game than Brady. What I mean by that is Brady has the 22nd leading rusher in the NFL in Leanord Fournette. Quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have more rushing yards than Tampa’s leading rusher while Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott is the league’s fifth-leading rusher and is 63 yards away from third place.

Prescott could have gaudy numbers like Brady if Dallas were to abandon the run. Prescott is keeping up with the big boys statistically even though he has to let Zeke eat. Let’s not forget Prescott missed a game due to injury and was pulled out early this past weekend.

Dak and the Cowboys have also had their bye week while the Packers, Cardinals, and Rams still have to take theirs. Their bye weeks should allow Prescott to close the gap statistically if he isn’t leading them already.

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr are all guys that can get back into the race but have clearly fallen behind the pack. The second half of this season is going to provide many answers but I hope everyone is ready to crown the new king and the new king resides in Dallas.