Jonathan Taylor’s MVP Case

Adrian Peterson’s MVP Season

Adrian Peterson’s MVP season in 2012 was one of the more remarkable ones in NFL history. During that season, Peterson played in 16 games and had 348 rushing attempts. With those attempts, he gained 2,097 yards with an average of 6 yards per carry. Peterson also had 12 rushing touchdowns that year. The running back also racked up 40 receptions on 51 targets that year. Peterson had 217 receiving yards and averaged 5.4 yards per reception. Those 40 receptions amounted to one touchdown that season.

As far as all-purpose production goes, Peterson had 2,314 yards and 13 touchdowns. Peterson led the Vikings to the postseason in 2012 with a 10-6 record. However, the Vikings lost in the Wild Card round to the Green Bay Packers. Despite an early postseason exit, Peterson’s season was still one to remember.

Jonathan Taylor’s MVP Case

Taylor is putting up career-high numbers across the board this year. Through 10 games, Taylor has 189 rushing attempts. Coming along with the 189 attempts, Taylor already has 1,139 rushing yards and is averaging six yards per carry. He also has 15 rushing touchdowns so far, which eclipses Peterson’s season total in 2012. Taylor has also already out-gained many of Peterson’s receiving totals as well. He has 30 receptions on 32 targets, with 260 yards and two touchdowns.

Taylor’s all-purpose stats (as of right now) are as follows: He has 1,399 total yards and 17 total touchdowns. As far as team records go, the Colts sit at 8-2. Now, nobody knows what the Colts’ season outcome is going to be. If their trend continues, they are bound for a lengthy playoff run. Taylor also has four games this year where he has scored three touchdowns. That only trails LaDainian Tomlinson (six), who won the MVP in 2006.

Taylor’s MVP Likelihood

Another factor in Jonathan Taylor’s MVP case is the number of regular-season games. In 2012, the NFL only had 16 regular-season games, and now there are 17. However, as stated before, Taylor has already passed Peterson’s touchdown totals. The only stat that Peterson’s season has on Taylor’s, as of right now, is total yards. If Taylor can surpass Peterson’s total yards before the final game, there should be no reason he shouldn’t win the MVP.

People had this same argument last year with Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. He finished the 2024 season with 2,783 total yards and 15 total touchdowns. Once again, Taylor has already passed Barkley’s total touchdowns on the year. He still trails Barkley’s total yards, but the totals are not out of reach.

The Jonathan Taylor MVP case has plenty of steam behind it. The main question is, will the voters be able to look away from the quarterback? Since it has been done before, it is believable that they can. All that Taylor has to do is keep putting up the numbers like he has all season. If his play continues, the voters will have no choice but to take Taylor into consideration to win the award. If Taylor were to win the award, it would make him the 19th running back to win the award, and his stats prove that he is coming for the MVP at full speed.