This story was originally published in the fourth edition of The Lion’s Tale (February 7, 2021).

The strange, and at times, surreal 2020 National Football League (NFL) regular season has come to an end. With the 2021 NFL Honors ceremony premiering on Feb. 6, we figured it was as good a time as any to predict the winner of the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. Now, I’m writing this before the final award is announced, but you, reader, will have had the answer for about a week.

At the end of the season, Russell Wilson was one of the favorites to win the award, throwing 40 touchdowns along with 4,212 passing yards during the regular season.

Unfortunately, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback was not able to advance past the wild-card round, losing to the Los Angeles Rams. Due to this, his chances at the MVP award are much slimmer.

The defending Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes has been on a hot streak for the last several weeks, leading his team to the championship for the second year in a row. He had a career best completion percentage and record in the regular season, though he didn’t quite match his 50 touchdown, MVP- winning 2018 campaign.

Tom Brady is a solid underdog after leading the Buccaneers, a 7-9 team before he arrived, to a Super Bowl appearance. He would be
adding to his three regular season MVPs and four Super Bowl MVPs. It’s shocking that Brady, possibly the greatest quarterback of all time, is only about third or fourth line for the honor, but that goes to show you how strong the field is.

Finally, there is Green Bay Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers. He led the league in completion percentage and touchdowns, throwing for a career high 48 scores. Rodgers is a great pick for the award.

Despite Rodgers’s stats, my prediction for the MVP is Patrick Mahomes because of the hot streak the Chiefs have been on. With several weapons on the wings, I believe he will be able to get the award for the second time in his career.

*Rodgers won the award.