Forget about rookie of the year – Ezekiel Elliott is marching towards the MVP.
Not since Jim Brown in 1957 has a rookie been named MVP by the Associated Press.
In 1978, Houston Oilers running back Earl Campbell was named MVP by the Pro Football Writers of America – that’s as close as anyone’s come since Brown’s monumental efforts 21 years earlier.
But now, there’s genuine belief that Elliott may well be the first to take out the coveted AP MVP since the legendary Cleveland fullback.
The rookie combo of Dak Prescott and Elliott continue to roll for Dallas, and while much of the season’s talk has been whether Tony Romo will be restored to the starting line-up there’s no denying that Elliott has cemented his place.
The former Buckeye leads the NFL in rushing yards (891) and is projected to finish with 1,782 rushing yards – placing him second all-time for rookie rushing yards behind Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (1,808).
But aside from his individual accolades so far this season, Elliott has quite simply been the most important player on what is currently the best team in the NFL.
Matt Ryan continues to garner attention for his impressive start to the season with the Falcons, and Tom Brady will always garner votes as he continues his assault on the league after serving a four-game suspension, but none have been more impressive than Elliott and the Cowboys.
In order to be the most valuable player you have to essentially be irreplaceable in a team that is doing far better with you than without you.
So while Brady has been tormenting defences since his return the fact remains that the Patriots still went 3-1 without him to start the season.
On top of that, he missed four games – that’s a quarter of the season!
No one in history has missed 25 per cent of games and still gone on to win MVP in any sport – and rightly so.
Matt Ryan is a genuine chance so long as the Falcons take out the NFC North.
They’re stuttering towards a .500 record, which would ultimately rule out any chance he has regardless of the level of play he puts forth.
And so, Elliott remains the only viable candidate heading into the finals two months of the season.
Yes, there is still a lot of football to be played.
And yes, a lot can, and no doubt will,change before then. But presuming Elliott and the Cowboys maintain the form they’re on at the moment, Zeke could be set to claim the ultimate individual honour in his first season in the NFL.
The future looks bright in Dallas, but there’s no reason why they can’t shine bright from the offset.
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