NFL MVP 2017: Carson Wentz, Alex Smith, Tom Brady Among Top Candidates

With the 2017 NFL season almost halfway in the books, it’s time to start looking at what players have a chance to win the MVP award. After Cam Newton and Matt Ryan were named the NFL MVP in the last two years, a couple of other unlikely quarterbacks have emerged as the top candidates.

Here are the top 5 NFL MVP candidates ahead of Week 8:

1) Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

He’s the best quarterback on the team with the NFL’s best record. Wentz has exceeded all expectations in his second season, and he’s the No.1 reason why the Eagles are the clear favorites to win the NFC East. The quarterback hasn’t had a bad game all season. He leads the league in passing touchdowns while ranking fourth in yards and passer rating. If Philadelphia remains the best team for the remainder of the regular season, he’ll probably end up winning the award.

2) Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Smith was the clear MVP favorite through the first five weeks of the season when Kansas City was undefeated. Even after two straight losses, the quarterback might still deserve to win the award. While NFL fans wait for the Alex Smith of old to return, he leads the league with a 120.5 passer rating after seven games. Only Wentz has thrown more touchdown passes, and no other quarterback has a higher completion percentage or average yards per attempt. Smith has been much more than simply a game-manager, turning the Chiefs into a true Super Bowl contender.

3) Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Brady keeps getting older, but not much has changed for the five-time Super Bowl winning quarterback. Having already cemented his place as the greatest signal caller of all time, Brady somehow hasn’t taken a step back at 40 years old. He’s first in yards while ranking second in touchdowns and passer rating. Brady’s kept the Patriots in first place, despite a season-ending injury to their best receiver and the team’s defense playing like the NFL’s worst over the first month of the season. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Smith and Wentz come back to earth, but Brady is a lock to continue putting up great numbers.

4) Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs

It’s very rare that a quarterback isn’t named the league MVP. Adrian Peterson was the last player to do it, winning the award in 2012, and LaDainian Tomlinson did it in 2006. But if any running back or wide receiver deserves some votes, it’s Hunt. The rookie has set a record by surpassing 100 yards from scrimmage in each of his first seven games. His 717 rushing yards are first in the NFL, and he’s averaging an incredible 5.8 yards per carry. Alex Smith, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce were all with Kansas City last year, and it wasn't until Hunt joined the team that the Chiefs became an offensive juggernaut.

5) Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

The rookie quarterback gets the nod over players like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson, even though he didn’t start the season as Houston’s No.1 quarterback. The Texans’ offense is unrecognizable from the one that played the first two quarters of the year under Tom Savage. After winning his starting debut, all Watson has done is throw 14 touchdowns and four interceptions in four games. The Texans have scored at least 33 points in all four games, and because of Watson, a team that was supposed to rely on its defense has been able to overcome struggles and injuries on that side of the ball.