NFL MVP Watch: Todd Gurley rests his case

After Week 14, the race saw Philadelphia hot shot quarterback Carson Wentz go down with a season-ending knee injury, cutting short an MVP-favorite campaign. The same thing happened to Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiver Antonio Brown via a Week 15 calf injury.

Now, as we head to the final week, it seems like Todd Gurley – who may have put himself in the leader seat in Week 16 – is headed to the MVP polls.

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McKay told reporters he will rest many of his key players Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers as the Rams prepare for the playoffs. There are fewer key Rams than Gurley, so he is done playing in the regular season as an injury precaution. Of course, the MVP is awarded based on regular-season play only.

Let’s look at our MVP Watch as he hit the final week:    

The favorites

Tom Brady: Brady kept on doing what he had to do Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. I get the feeling people are bored by Brady’s excellence. It’s not his fault he is the best NFL player ever and that he is still dominating at the age of 40. We want new blood, but the old head isn’t allowing it quite yet.

Todd Gurley: Gurley’s case is closed, but he went out in style. He was dominant again this week, as the Rams clinched the NFC West title with a big road win at Tennessee. He had 158 yards receiving on 10 carries and two touchdowns and added 118 yards on the ground. Gurley has 1,305 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on the ground. Plus, he has 788 yards receiving, six touchdowns in the air and is the third player in NFL history to have both 100 yards rushing and 150 yards receiving in a single game. He is also their third player in league history to have, at least, 2,000 scrimmage yards, 10 rushing touchdowns and more than five receiving touchdowns.

Injured, but hopeful

Carson Wentz: Wentz is still a candidate to win the award, taking the Eagles to an 11-2 record. Had he stayed healthy, he would have had a greater chance at the award. That chance has lowered in odds, but they're still there.

Antonio Brown : He had a real shot to become the first receiver ever to win the NFL MVP award. The fact that he will miss two games probably dampens his chances severely.

Deserve some consideration

Drew Brees: The Saints’ offense is an ensemble piece unlike most years with Brees, but he’s the leader of the band. He has completed 71.9 percent of his passes, which is on pace to be a league record.

Case Keenum: It’s not quite Kurt Warner’s MVP-winning season in 1999 with the Rams, but in a completely shocking development, Keenum has been stupendous for the Vikings this season.

Le’Veon Bell: He has 1,291 yards rushing and 85 receptions. Bell is a workhorse and is a big reason why the Steelers are a serious Super Bowl threat.

Key development to watch in Week 17

Brady against the Jets. If the Patriots win at home against New York, they will clinch the home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. So, expect Brady to light the Jets up.

Current pick

Sorry for being boring, but it’s Brady. I may have leaned toward Wentz if he finished the season. Brown and Gurley have been great. But it’s the old man’s hardware for the third time in his career and his first since 2010 – when he was supposed to be "getting old" at the age of 33.