Andy Dalton

NFL MVP tracker: Adrian Peterson takes over

Published Dec. 2, 2015 2:33 a.m. ET

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With five weeks remaining in the 2015 NFL regular season, here’s how we view the MVP race…

1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings: Now that Tom Brady’s Patriots are no longer perfect and Brady has fallen into a very tiny “slump,” it’s time to acknowledge the fact a 30-year-old Peterson leads the NFL in rushing by a 126-yard margin and has the Vikes leading the NFC North despite getting inconsistent play at quarterback.

2. Tom Brady, Patriots: He still leads the league with a 106.7 rating and has a ridiculous 28-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. With the Pats coasting despite a slew of injuries, Brady’s still the game’s most valuable quarterback.

3. Carson Palmer, Cardinals: He’s neck and neck with Brady. He has a little more support and has thrown twice as many interceptions, but Palmer’s right there in terms of touchdowns, completion percentage and passer rating and he’s averaging almost an entire extra yard per attempt.

4. Cam Newton, Panthers: Eighteen qualified quarterbacks have higher passer ratings, but it goes far beyond the numbers when it comes to Newton. He so often carries this team, especially in clutch situations, and they wouldn’t be close to 11-0 without him.

5. Andy Dalton, Bengals: He struggled in back-to-back losses but bounced back big-time with a decisive victory over the Rams. Dalton remains the league’s third highest-rated passer.

5. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: He’s gotta be hurt, right? I mean, it’s hard to even consider him a candidate at that point. Rodgers was simply ineffective in a home loss to the Bears and he hasn’t posted a triple-digit passer rating in five weeks. The Packers have lost four of those games.

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