Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown said this week that Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts should win the NFL MVP award this season over Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
It’s not a surprise that Brown is backing his teammate. That’s what anyone would expect him to do.
But his logic on why Hurts should win the award over Mahomes is deeply flawed.
“He’s just been locked in,” said Brown on the All Things Covered podcast this week. “A couple weeks ago they took away the pass and he ran. The other week it was vice versa. That just tells you how locked in he is.”
“I know it’s a tight race between him and (Patrick) Mahomes and Mahomes is a good quarterback, too, but half the games that we played in Jalen Hurts didn’t play in the second half. That has to be the edge.”
Brown basically thinks that Hurts has done more with fewer opportunities. But that’s not necessarily the case.
Hurts has accounted for 3,843 total yards and 32 total touchdowns this season on 527 touches (388 pass attempts and 139 rushes).
Mahomes, meanwhile, has accounted for 4,440 total yards and 35 total touchdowns on 558 touches (511 pass attempts and 47 rush attempts).
Hurts has been great this season, but Mahomes has been better. And the numbers show that.
I think the fact that Mahomes lost one of his top offensive weapons in Tyreek Hill this past offseason, while Hurts gained a massive weapon in Brown, has to be considered, too.
Mahomes is doing more with less. And as usual, he’s the most important player in the NFL this season.
Hurts certainly has an MVP case, but Mahomes’ case is stronger.
