Los Angeles Chargers: Four players that can win awards in 2018
By Jason Reed
Philip Rivers — Most Valuable Player
Quite frankly, this should not be the least likely award, but it is. And while it is not impossible, the chances of Rivers actually being named the MVP seem slim to none. Rivers rarely gets the credit and love he deserves. Maybe it is because he has played in a tiny football market in San Diego (and now in an LA soccer stadium) his entire career.
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Maybe it is because he is overshadowed by Eli Manning’s two Super Bowl rings. It simply could be that Rivers often takes the back seat behind guys like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, everyone forgetting how good Rivers really is.
Rivers can win the MVP award. In fact, he should have been in the running last season. He wasn’t. He did not receive a single vote.
Tom Brady took home the honors with 40 out of 50 MVP votes. Todd Gurley finished in second, Carson Wentz finished in third. This is despite Rivers being second in passing yards (62 fewer than Brady), fifth in passing touchdowns and ninth in passer rating.
Now I am not saying that Rivers should have won the award, but he should have at least seen some credit thrown his way. And while he may not have deserved an MVP vote, I have not seen anyone taking notice of how good he really was last season.
Rivers can follow suit and perhaps a dominant year that leads to the playoffs will be enough to get him some MVP credit. All Rivers really needs is 4,500 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns and a passer rating around 100. He had nearly all of those last season (only 28 touchdowns). If he plays on a 13-3 team, that is your MVP right there.
Next: Chargers most important games of 2018
Could it happen? Absolutely. Will it happen? Probably not. Regardless, wouldn’t it be something to see Philip Rivers win the MVP award?