Power Rankings: Who's the real NFL MVP?
Chris Simms and Tank Williams rank their favorites for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award, with a clear disagreement on the top spot.
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CHRIS SIMMS: All right, we got some ballers in the NFL, Tank. We know that. And right now, it's kind of like a wide open MVP race. I mean, I think we all thought it was like Mahomes a few weeks ago, but there are some other guys that got, I think, a little say in this conversation right now.
TANK WILLIAMS: Mm-hmm.
CHRIS SIMMS: OK, so I got a list for you. I know I'm supposed to only have three, but I cheated with four, OK? I got a tie--
TANK WILLIAMS: We can work with that.
CHRIS SIMMS: --and three.
TANK WILLIAMS: OK.
CHRIS SIMMS: OK, please. Thank you. Don't be mad at me. So number three, I got the tie between, I'm gonna go Watson, Deshaun Watson and McCaffrey, OK? That's gonna be my tie at number three.
TANK WILLIAMS: [EXHALES SHARPLY]
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, OK, all right, hold on. Let me finish my list before you go all crazy and safety on me, OK? All right, number two, I'm going Patrick Mahomes at number two. And then number one, I'm going with I'm mister highest paid player in football, Russell Wilson, right now. Go ahead, dissect me. Bring the blitz to the quarterback. Tell me what I did wrong.
TANK WILLIAMS: I'm gonna have to eat you up, dog, because you're always gonna put the quarterbacks first because you're always biased. Now, you're gonna call me a Stanford homey for this, but Christian McCaffrey is the NFL MVP, period. He looks like an underwear model. He's built like an underwear model, but the dude has been eating it up.
He's a volume monster. People said that he couldn't hold up and be a three down back. What does he do? He leads the NFL in rush yards. He's a baller, a beast out the backfield. He cuts up DB's linebackers in the flat. I mean, this dude is amazing. And how do you have him tied at third with Deshaun Watson? Like, I don't get that, bro.
CHRIS SIMMS: Well, I mean, I'm with you. He's in the conversation there. But, damn, don't act like the other guys aren't ballers too. I mean, Deshaun Watson's kind of balling. I mean--
TANK WILLIAMS: No, he's definitely balling. But tell me this--
CHRIS SIMMS: Yes.
TANK WILLIAMS: --who's Christian McCaffrey's quarterback right now?
CHRIS SIMMS: Yes, I know, Kyle Allen--
TANK WILLIAMS: Yes, he's doing all of this with a backup quarterback. Thank you very much.
CHRIS SIMMS: I get you. And I'm telling you, I am a little bit of a quarterback hater. I hate how they get all the credit all the time. I don't feel good about throwing quarterbacks out there right now, but I do feel like the three that I threw out there, they're a little different than just like--
TANK WILLIAMS: That's true.
CHRIS SIMMS: --your normal, you know, this guy's open, and the coach designed a good play, and I'm just gonna like throw to the guy that coach designed a good play for and he's open. Watson, Russell Wilson, Mahomes, they can do a lot on their own even when people aren't open or the pass protection's not bad. Maybe I am a little low on Christian McCaffrey. You came at me so hard there, maybe I'm gonna re-evaluate, all right?
TANK WILLIAMS: But I will say this, though, like I had Russell Wilson at number two because Baker Mayfield woke up one day last year feeling dangerous, like this dude wakes up every day as dangerous. Like, he does the most with a morsel. Because, I mean, he has some running backs. Chris Carson is an animal, but you don't look at him in the same light as, let's say, Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott.
They've always had issues along the line. You know, I would say early on in the season, he was one of the most sacked quarterbacks. You know, Tyler Lockett is a beast. We saw the smooth criminal touchdown catch he had a couple of weeks ago, but they still don't have like a legit number one dog at wide receiver. Yet and still, Russell just goes out there on a weekly basis and just wills his team to win. So that's why I feel like Russell is right there smack dab at number two.
And you can't hate on Mahomes. I mean, you know, he's dealing with injuries all across his skill set, whether it's running backs having ankles and hamstrings. Tyreek Hill is just now coming back. Sammy Watkins is on the shelf. He's dealing with the ankle, but at the same time, Patrick Mahomes is like the third splash. Brother, you got Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and them Mahomes. He does stuff that other people can't dream about doing on the field. And so he's always gonna be in that conversation for MVP.
CHRIS SIMMS: OK, so just so I get it straight, you've got McCaffrey one, Russell Wilson two, and then you're gonna go Mahomes three. You're gonna give Mahomes a slight lead over Deshaun Watson there?
TANK WILLIAMS: Uh, actually, after Deshaun Watson--
CHRIS SIMMS: Aha!
TANK WILLIAMS: --going into-- Deshaun Watson going into Kansas City--- and that's a tough-- we both know that's one of the toughest places to go and play and win.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yes.
TANK WILLIAMS: So if you can go in there and get a win, then I think that pretty much leaps him above Patrick Mahomes, but it's hard to put anyone above Patrick Mahomes. Even when he's struggling, he's still second in the NFL in touchdowns. He just threw his first pick last week. I mean, the dude is a beast, man.
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, no, I know. He's set a standard that's like not really reality anymore. I'll say this, too. If this keeps going on in Green Bay, I think you're gonna see Aaron Rodgers maybe in this conversation, too. Because we can't sit here and say that he's got a ton of talent around him right now--
TANK WILLIAMS: True.
CHRIS SIMMS: --and you saw some of the magic he pulled off on Monday night against the Detroit Lions. He might get his name injected in here sometime in the next few weeks.
TANK WILLIAMS: Yeah, and I know one group that needs to get their name injected in there, the New England Patriots defense. How about we just give them the MVP?
CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, you're right. I mean, I feel like right now we could just put the Patriots in the Super Bowl in the AFC. And then the NFC, they'll figure it out somehow, some way.
