Risen Star
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"Run the table," the man said. And so far Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have. Green Bay has won four in a row to improve to 8-6 since Rodgers uttered those words, and as a result, look who has snuck into the back end of this week's poll.
Also moving up is Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, who trashed the red-hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense on Sunday. But sitting pretty at the top? The guy people think of when they hear those three little letters.
Methodology: Each of our 13 panelists nominated their top five candidates. First-place votes are worth five points, second-place votes worth four, third-place votes worth three, fourth-place votes worth two and fifth-place votes worth one.
NAME/POSITION/TEAM.........................1st..........2nd..........3rd.........4th.........5th..........TOTAL
Tom Brady QB Patriots............................6.............6...............0............0.............0...............54
Derek Carr QB Raiders.............................2.............1...............5............3.............1...............36
Ezekiel Elliott RB Cowboys.....................3.............2...............3............1.............2...............36
Matt Ryan QB Falcons.............................1.............4...............3............1.............1...............33
Aaron Rodgers QB Packers....................1.............0...............1............2.............1...............13
Matthew Stafford QB Lions....................0.............0...............0............2.............3.................7
Dak Prescott QB Cowboys.....................0.............0...............0............3.............0.................6
David Johnson RB Cardinals.................0.............0...............1............1.............1.................6
Le'Veon Bell RB Steelers.........................0.............0...............0.............0............2.................2
Justin Tucker K Ravens..........................0.............0...............0.............0............1.................1
Russell Wilson QB Seahawks................0.............0...............0.............0............1.................1
T2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB | Dallas Cowboys
Regular-season rushing: 310 carries; 1,551 yards; 13 TDs
Regular-season receiving: 31 receptions; 351 yards; 1 TD
Case for Elliott: The Cowboys' offense is built around the run, and Elliott has 327 more rushing yards than any other player in the league. He just cut through one of the league's hottest defenses to the tune of 159 rushing yards, and he stayed on the field for a few third downs and made a big catch or two in that game. To borrow a timely catchphrase, he's the MVP candidate doing the most good.
Case against Elliott: Quarterbacks tend to win this award, so it's an uphill battle for anyone who plays Elliott's position, no matter how well he might be playing it. And there are some who feel (unjustifiably) that Elliott's performance is more a reflection of his offensive line's performance than of anything special about Elliott himself.
Also moving up is Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, who trashed the red-hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense on Sunday. But sitting pretty at the top? The guy people think of when they hear those three little letters.
Methodology: Each of our 13 panelists nominated their top five candidates. First-place votes are worth five points, second-place votes worth four, third-place votes worth three, fourth-place votes worth two and fifth-place votes worth one.
NAME/POSITION/TEAM.........................1st..........2nd..........3rd.........4th.........5th..........TOTAL
Tom Brady QB Patriots............................6.............6...............0............0.............0...............54
Derek Carr QB Raiders.............................2.............1...............5............3.............1...............36
Ezekiel Elliott RB Cowboys.....................3.............2...............3............1.............2...............36
Matt Ryan QB Falcons.............................1.............4...............3............1.............1...............33
Aaron Rodgers QB Packers....................1.............0...............1............2.............1...............13
Matthew Stafford QB Lions....................0.............0...............0............2.............3.................7
Dak Prescott QB Cowboys.....................0.............0...............0............3.............0.................6
David Johnson RB Cardinals.................0.............0...............1............1.............1.................6
Le'Veon Bell RB Steelers.........................0.............0...............0.............0............2.................2
Justin Tucker K Ravens..........................0.............0...............0.............0............1.................1
Russell Wilson QB Seahawks................0.............0...............0.............0............1.................1
T2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB | Dallas Cowboys
Regular-season rushing: 310 carries; 1,551 yards; 13 TDs
Regular-season receiving: 31 receptions; 351 yards; 1 TD
Case for Elliott: The Cowboys' offense is built around the run, and Elliott has 327 more rushing yards than any other player in the league. He just cut through one of the league's hottest defenses to the tune of 159 rushing yards, and he stayed on the field for a few third downs and made a big catch or two in that game. To borrow a timely catchphrase, he's the MVP candidate doing the most good.
Case against Elliott: Quarterbacks tend to win this award, so it's an uphill battle for anyone who plays Elliott's position, no matter how well he might be playing it. And there are some who feel (unjustifiably) that Elliott's performance is more a reflection of his offensive line's performance than of anything special about Elliott himself.
