National Football League

Rodgers, Watt, Mahomes top Wright's MVP rankings

Published Dec. 21, 2021 3:45 p.m. ET

The NFL MVP race is seen as a two-horse contest to most –– but Nick Wright isn't most.

On Tuesday's edition of "First Things First," Wright laid out his five favorites to win the league's most prestigious regular-season award.

In the lead is reigning MVP and Packers' frontman Aaron Rodgers, followed by Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt, Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, Indy's Jonathan Taylor and Tampa Bay's Tom Brady.

Wright broke it down for each candidate on Tuesday.

Brady: "Why is Tom Brady No. 5? The case for Brady being the MVP is he has the most yards and the most touchdowns. That's the entirety of the case. Brady's team has struggled the last half of the season –– 4-3 after their outstanding start."

Taylor: "If we could erase the first three games of the year, the Colts maybe would be the Super Bowl favorites and Jonathan Taylor may be the MVP favorite. … Since then, they're 8-3, he has over 1,300 yards rushing, over 1,600 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns."

Mahomes: "We already know they went from 3-4 to 10-4, the No. 1 seed currently in the AFC. … The first six weeks of the year, when the Chiefs were 3-3, they had a historically bad defense. The only reason they weren't 1-5 or 0-6 is because of [Mahomes]."

Watt: "Leads the NFL in sacks, leads the NFL in forced fumbles, leads the NFL in fumble recoveries, second in the NFL tackles for a loss. … You can make a strong argument that without T.J. Watt, the Steelers would have one win this year."

Rodgers: "Since Week 1, he's 30 touchdowns and two interceptions. They have lost one game he has played since then, and in that game, he had a 140 passer rating and four touchdowns against the Vikings. … He should be the MVP as of now."

Nick Wright reveals his latest MVP rankings for the 2021 NFL season I FIRST THINGS FIRST

Now that we're wrapping up Week 15 of the NFL season, Nick Wright has decided to reveal his MVP rankings so far. Where do three former MVPs –– Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady –– land on his ladder?