Cal in NFL: Is Aaron Rodgers Headed for His Third MVP?
It's Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
That's the NFL MVP race at the moment. Certainly things could change over the final five games of the regular season, and Russell Wilson is still getting support for the award despite his recent struggles. But after Sunday's NFL action, the two stars of the AllState TV commercials are leading the pack.
Former Cal star Aaron Rodgers, who turns 37 on Wednesday, has won the MVP twice, while the 25-year-old Mahomes has won it once, and both had MVP-caliber games on Sunday.
Green Bay's Rodgers and Kansas City's Mahomes entered Sunday's action ranked first and second, respectively, in the NFL in pass rating, and they came out of the day in the same position.
Mahomes threw for 462 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 124.7 passer rating in the Chiefs' 27-24 victory over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the featured Sunday night game, Rodgers threw for only 211 yards, but he did it in only 29 pass attempts and finished with four touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 132.3 passer rating in the Packers' 41-25 win over the Chicago Bears.
Rodgers' first touchdown pass, off his back foot, under pressure:
And this Rodgers touchdown pass, falling backward (and listen to Tony Dungy's amazement):
Mahomes has 30 touchdown passes and two interceptions, and Rodgers has 33 TD throws and four picks. Wilson has 30 touchdon passes but those 10 interceptions are not pretty.
The Chiefs are 10-1, the Packers are 8-3, and Wilson's Seahawks are 7-3 heading into Monday's game against the Eagles. And those team records matter in the MVP vote.
Rodgers was not the only ex-Cal player who had a productive game Sunday.
---Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan had his second straight productive game in a 31-3 victory over the Broncos. After collecting three sacks last week, Jordan had two tackles for loss, including one sack, and four quarterback hits this week against Denver. He has 6.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits for the season.
Jordan’s postgame interview:
---Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, Chargers had four receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown in a 27-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Allen started the day with 81 receptions, which led the NFL, and his total of 85 catches after Sunday’s games keeps him on top in that category.
Allen’s touchdown reception:
---Rams quarterback Jared Goff had a tough day in a 23-20 loss to the 49ers. Goff committed three turnovers, tossing two interceptions and losing a fumble on a scramble. One of the interceptions turned into a pick-six by Jevon Kinlaw.
Goff completed his first six pass attempts of the game, but he finished 19-of-31 for 198 yards, no touchdown and the two interceptions for a passer rating of 52.9.
San Francisco ultimately won the game on a 42-yard Robbie Gould field goal on the game’s final play.
Goff's fumble:
Goff throws a pick-six:
---Falcons rookie safety Jaylinn Hawkins did not start but he recorded a tackle and half a sack in Atlanta’s 43-6 win over the Raiders.
---Jets rookie safety Ashtyn Davis was in the starting lineup in the 20-3 loss to the Dolphins, and Davis recorded three tackles, two of which were solo hits.
---Dolphins running back Patrick Laird had one carry for nine yards in the 20-3 win over the Jets, but Laird fumbled on that carry and it was recovered by the Jets.
---Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. had six catches for 48 yards in the 41-25 loss to the Texans on Thursday. For the season, Jones has 43 receptions for 503 yards and five touchdowns.
---Texans punter Bryan Anger averaged 39.0 yards on three punts in the 41-25 win over the Lions on Thursday.
---Cowboys long-snapper L.P. Ladouceur played in his 247th consecutive regular-season NFL game (256 including playoffs) on Thursday. That is the longest active streak in the NFL, and the seventh-longest regular-season streak alltime. He is one game behind Morten Andersen for the No. 6 spot.
---Washington long-snapper Nick Sundberg extended his consecutive-games streak to 29 by performing his duties against Dallas on Thursday.
---Washington linebacker Jordan Kunaszyk is on the active roster but did not record any statistics against the Cowboys on Thursday
---Eagles tight end Richard Rodgers plays Monday against the Seahawks.
---Former Cal players Ravens center Patrick Mekari and Steelers nose guard Tyson Alualu will likely go head-to-head when Baltimore and Pittsburgh meet in a rare Tuesday night game.
.
Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by searching: @si.calsportsreport
Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Cal Sports Report on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page.
