Is New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees Making a Case for NFL MVP?

Getty Images Drew Brees rushing against the Rams.

The old man has still got it! After Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints became the first team to knock off the Los Angeles Rams, is it time to start considering Drew Brees a potential favorite in the MVP race? It sure is! Headed into week nine, we all had to assume that Kansas City Chiefs second-year veteran Patrick Mahomes had it locked up so far, but don’t think for a second that this race is over.

There are plenty of worthy candidates this year, for sure. But a 39-year-old Drew Brees is playing like he is still in his prime. As he continues to break records and break undefeated seasons, Brees is well on his way to leading the Saints to a potential deep playoff run. Last season, the Saints were stunned by a miracle in Minnesota, but it’s going to take a lot more than a fluke play to take down Drew Brees and the New Orleans high-powered offense, that’s for sure.

Through eight games, Brees has a passer rating of 120.6. He’s thrown for over 2,300 yards and 18 touchdowns, which ties for sixth in the league. Although his passing numbers aren’t off the charts, his lack of turning the ball over is undoubtedly impressive. With 213 passing attempts on the season, Brees has thrown just one interception. He’s the only quarterback in the NFL to throw one pick, with over 200 attempts currently.

Is Brees an MVP Favorite?

Brees has the attention of all of the top writers, currently. He might not have the same hype around him now as Patrick Mahomes, but the race for MVP is going to be a lot closer than you think. It kind of reminds me of last year, when Tom Brady was the veteran favorite, while a young guy like Carson Wentz was the emerging star, who, unfortunately, lost out due to injury.

Hopefully, that doesn’t happen in this case. But the overall race for the award should be quite interesting. As the Saints only have one loss on the season, Brees has clearly gone above and beyond to put his team on his back. That’s no slight to the rest of the Saints as they are an outstanding team all around, but it’s clear that Brees is elevating them to the next level.

Could Drew Brees finally win the league MVP at age 39? According to NJ Advanced Media’s Matt Lombardo, Brees has the third-best odds to win as of Monday morning. His odds are at +750. He trails behind Los Angles Rams running back Todd Gurley, and Kansas City Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes. We’ll see how the rest of the second half of the season goes, but knocking off the top dogs in the NFC should surely elevate those odds when it comes to voting time.