The MVP race is still wide open compared to this time last season when reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes had 22 passing touchdowns through 7 weeks. Can Jacoby Brissett force his way into the MVP discussion coming off an AFC Player of the Week win?
When Andrew Luck announced his retirement before the start of the season, many of the talking heads on television predicted that the Colts would be a disappointment. Some even suggested that the team needed to focus on obtaining a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.
General Manager, Chris Ballard exhibited confidence in Brissett by giving him a two-year contract extension before the start of the season. The career backup only had 11 days to prepare as the team’s starting quarterback.
Fast forward to week 8 and Brissett has led his team to the top of the AFC South with a dominant win against the Houston Texans. The Colts can easily make a run at one of the top two playoff seeds in the AFC. Few would have expected the Colts season to unfold like this. Their confidence in Brissett has rewarded them with playoff aspirations.
Brissett had a career-high four passing touchdowns against the Houston Texans. I don’t think this will be his only four touchdown performance of the season. Remember, Brissett had little time with the first team offense in the offseason. He will only exhibit more confidence in himself and so will the Colts’ coaching staff.
Brissett is currently fourth in the NFL in passing touchdowns (14) and has multiple passing touchdowns in five out of six games. Matt Ryan, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson are all tied at first place with 15 passing touchdowns. Unfortunately, both Patrick Mahomes and Matt Ryan suffered injuries this past week.
Russell Wilson was leading the MVP conversation but had an abysmal game on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson is another MVP hopeful that has been playing lights out for Baltimore. Aaron Rodgers is also in the mix after his 6 touchdown performance, leading the Green Bay Packers to a 6-1 record. Christian McCaffrey may be in the conversation as the lone running back but the last six NFL MVPs have all been quarterbacks.
The Colts’ next four games are against the Broncos, Steelers, Dolphins, and Jaguars. For the rest of the season, only three teams on the schedule have a winning record. Head Coach Frank Reich may be more willing to rely on Brissett’s arm going forward. Increasing Brissett’s throwing stats would strengthen his MVP case in a wide-open race.