Introducing your NFL MVP, Matt Ryan (probably)
Matt Ryan will celebrate the Atlanta Falcons first NFL MVP award ever in early February.
Probably.
The NFL regular season is over, and voting for MVP is in. The playoff performance is irrelevant — which, based on team history, is a good thing for Ryan’s candidacy.
The debate for the award — as with nearly everything that is debatable in sports — began after week one. Lately, it has narrowed down to Ryan, New England’s Tom Brady, Dallas duo Zeke Elliott and Dak Prescott, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers
Elliott’s chances took a hit when he sat out the final game, a what loss to Philadelphia, since the result wouldn’t change Dallas’s postseason positioning.
He still led the league with 1,631 yards rushing. Plus, he is, like Prescott, a rookie.
Prescott played only a few series for the 13-3 Cowboys on Sunday. He is third in quarterback rating, fourth in completion percentage, 15th in touchdown passes and 19th in passing yards.
NFL.com’s panel at midseason had Brady, who had missed half of the midseason, winning, with eight votes. Ryan got two, one less than Oakland’s done-for-the-season Derek Carr.
An ESPN.com NFL writer’s midseason guess gave offensive player of the year to Ryan and MVP to Brady.
Ryan battled a few rough stretches that, at the time, hurt his chances. Nothing was bigger and more painful than the pick-6 and pick-2 — an interception returned for a touchdown on a conversion pass – in a stunning 29-28 home loss to Kansas City.
But since then, he has been remarkable, completing 89-of-120 passes for 1,131 yards and 11 touchdowns in Atlanta’s final four games. More notable: no interceptions.
So Ryan ended the regular season with 4,944 yards, a 69.9 percent completion mark, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions – a career low by two picks.
And that looks like it clinched it for him. Sunday’s sterling performance against New Orleans against New Orleans was a boost.
Wrote Dan Graziano of ESPN.Com: “Whether it took our panel longer than it should have taken to buy into Ryan's candidacy or whether his sustained brilliance over a full 16 weeks finally pushed him over the top, he finishes the season as our winner -- surging ahead of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.”
That 13-member panel gave Ryan seven first-place votes to three for Brady and Rodgers, and a 13-point win.
ESPN.com’s Bill Barnwell gave it to Ryan over Rodgers.
CBS Sports.com was pretty clear in its headline on Tuesday: “Congrats, Matty Ice, Matty Ice.”
It had Brady leading late, but noted that Ryan’s strong finish was the clincher.
“This guy has been a special quarterback on a special offense,” said CBS Sports panelist and MVP voter Pete Prisco. “He is my MVP.”
CBS Sports’ NFL writers gave Ryan a four-point win over Brady.
From John Breech: “If Ryan doesn't win it, it will prove everyone in Atlanta's theory that the media doesn't know the Falcons exist.”
From Will Brinson: “I kind of feel like I'm taking crazy pills here because Matt Ryan just put up a historically good season and he's not getting nearly enough credit for it.”
Ryan has now passed for at least 4,500 yards six straight seasons.
USA Today moved Ryan up to first from fourth after the final week, passed Brady by a spot.
Yahoosports.com’s “Shutdown Corner” went the other way, giving the award to Brady, who got four first-place votes from its staff to two for Ryan. Yet Ryan was the staff’s offensive player pick 3-2.
Bleacher Report gave the nod to Ryan over Rodgers and Elliott, with Brady fourth.
A combo of writers from Foxsports.com and Sports Illustrated gave Ryan four votes to two for Rodgers, and one each for Brady and Prescott.
Oddshark pushed Ryan to first, noting that “the longest of long shots at the start of the season has been crowned the new favorite” and that Ryan had become the “+125 front-runner” on at least one gambling book.
Ryan got a boost from a regular MVP candidate during his playing days, Brett Favre, who tweeted: “I think Matt Ryan does get overlooked and his absolutely deserving of winning the MVP award this year. #RiseUp.”
Barring a stunning vote, Ryan will at least share the Falcons’ best finish in the race.
Michael Turner was tied for second with four votes in 2008, ahead of Adrian Peterson. Michael Vick got the only vote in 2004 that Peyton Manning didn’t get.
Vick got a vote in a crowded 2002 race. Jamal Anderson was tied for third in 1998 and Steve Bartkowski tied for third in 1980 with four votes.
Ryan has all but ignored such talk, other than enjoying hearing the “MVP” chant during Sunday’s 38-32 win over New Orleans.
Running back Devonta Freeman was fairly blunt.
“Numbers don’t lie. Look at his numbers.”
NFL MVP voters apparently have, although we won’t know how hard they did until Super Bowl week.
This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 12:27 PM with the headline "Introducing your NFL MVP, Matt Ryan (probably)."