Making Antonio Brown’s case for league MVP
As has been the case for the majority of this season, we witnessed another amazing performance by Antonio Brown on Sunday night against the Ravens. Although he wasn’t able to find the end zone, AB finished the game with 11 receptions for 213 yards, including a huge 34-yard connection from Ben Roethlisberger on a crucial third down in the fourth quarter. That reception helped set up Chris Boswell‘s game-winning field goal.
This dominant performance has multiple people, including myself, asking the question: “Should Antonio Brown be in the MVP discussion?”
With that being said, here are some reasons why Brown’s name should be mentioned.
Brown’s 2017 Stats Are Outstanding
This has been another outstanding season for Antonio Brown. As of now, AB is leading the NFL in receiving yards and it looks to stay that way as he has 1,509 yards: the next closest receiver to Brown is Deandre Hopkins with 1,223.
Brown is also second in the league in touchdowns with nine. His presence has been felt in a major way in the past four games, as he has finished with over 100 yards in each matchup and has finished with over 100 yards in 8 out of 13 games this season.
AB’s Value To The Steelers Is Undeniable
When considering a player for MVP, I have always believed that it is extremely important to think about how much that player means to their team. As a Steelers fan, it is hard to imagine what this season would be like without Antonio Brown.
I already mentioned his stats, which obviously have contributed to the team’s 11-2 record, but it’s also important to look at how many times AB has made a huge play to keep the Steelers’ hopes of winning a game alive.
We can start with Week 1 against the Browns when the Steelers weren’t looking nearly as good as they do now. In a close game, Brown made a spectacular catch in double coverage to keep a drive alive.
Then there was a 51-yard touchdown reception to put the Steelers up nine against the Chiefs.
More recently, we saw him make a clutch touchdown reception against the Bengals while taking a huge hit from George Iloka, and of course, the play against the Ravens that I already mentioned.
Without Brown, I truly believe that the Steelers would have a couple of more losses on their record.
Other MVP Candidates
Per usual, the MVP race this season has been headlined by quarterbacks. At the beginning of the season, Alex Smith of the Chiefs was thought to be the unquestionable favorite. As we all know, that was short-lived.
The leading candidate throughout the rest of this season has been Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz. Unfortunately for Wentz and the Eagles, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear against the Rams this past Sunday.
With the injury to Wentz, some other names that have been brought up are Russell Wilson and Tom Brady. Wilson has had a solid season for the Seahawks but has also had his struggles (as we saw with his three interceptions against the Jaguars). With Brady, he has had a good season as well, per usual, but we all saw the absolutely terrible performance that he had on Monday Night Football against a mediocre Dolphins team.
However, we all know the NFL is always going to keep Brady in the discussion. With all of that being said, the MVP award will most likely be given to a quarterback as usual. The position is always a frontrunner to win the award.
However, I think this is a year that the eyes of the voters should be opened. There are other worthy candidates at other positions. Sure, QB is the most important position on the field, but there are other players that have been dominating the game and haven’t been rightfully acknowledged.
If we’re going to give the award to the best player in the NFL, it is safe to say that Antonio Brown has been that player so far this season. With three games remaining he has an opportunity to accomplish several feats that no receiver has ever done in league history. Should he break those records, there’s no way his 2017 season can be the “most valuable”.
