With the season closing in on us at a rapid pace things in the NFL are becoming more and more clear as far as final rosters and depth charts. With those things out of the way it comes time for projections! In this series, we will be going through each individual award and pick five players that we think have a great shot at bringing it home. Today we will be looking at the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. Here are our five picks.
1. Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
The winner of the MVP award the previous season, Mahomes has done nothing to dissuade anyone that he is not on track to win it once again for the 2023 season. Proving the loss of Tyreek Hill would not hurt his production, there is seemingly nothing that can slow Mahomes down. With yet another season under offensive guru Andy Reid, and even more weapons at his disposal now, Mahomes could be in for one of his best seasons yet. The rest of the league just hopes they can stop him from being the Super Bowl MVP for a third time.
2. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow
With one of the most impressive resumes out of anyone during his short career in the NFL, Joe Burrow is looking to make another leap by sealing up his first MVP trophy. With the best receiving core in the league returning for his disposal, and the bright offensive mind of head coach Zac Taylor designing the plays, it seems inevitable that Burrow will once again light up the league. While Burrow hasn’t been able to reach the productive heights of his Heisman season at LSU, all the pieces are there for him to completely dominate every defense he comes across this season.
3. Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts
Before an unfortunate injury stalled Hurts at the end of the last regular season, Hurts was a true candidate for the MVP trophy given what he had produced during the season. After an incredible postseason run where Hurts proved firmly that he can play with the best in the league, it seems only natural that that will carry over into the 2023 season. With an incredible receiving duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith returning, as well as one of the best offensive lines in the entire league protecting him, Hurts can force his way into the conversation once again. His dynamic running ability and his legitimacy as a passer only boost his odds of taking the league by storm once again.
4. Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert
There haven’t been many quarterbacks over the years that have been able to put up the kinds of numbers that Herbert has during his first three seasons in the league, and given the adversity he has faced in his young career, we can expect those numbers to continue to grow as stability follows. Now with one of the best offensive minds in football calling the shots offensively in Kellen Moore, it is much more likely that Herbert’s incredible natural talent will get taken full advantage of. The Chargers also return a finally healthy Keenan Allen and Mike Williams alongside a new rookie weapon in Quentin Johnston who will only help Herbert’s case for MVP.
5. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen
Josh Allen has played with the best of the league over the last few seasons and has seemingly only gotten better as the years have stacked up. Now entering a season with the Bills that certainly feels like Super Bowl or bust, it seems like Allen will be given full opportunity to use his talents as the most gifted signal caller in the league and blow the doors off any opposing defense. With his favorite weapon Stefon Diggs returning for another crack at it, and second year offensive coordinator growing into his role as play caller, Allen could see his best season yet, which would almost put him in for contention for the MVP trophy.
