Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

These stats prove Ryan Tannehill could be NFL's most underrated player

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 12/21/20

Ryan Tannehill is having an outstanding season with the Tennessee Titans, and you could easily make the argument that he deserves to be in the MVP conversation. While Tannehill doesn’t receive nearly as much attention as star quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, the numbers say he should.

Just how good has Tannehill been since he took over in Tennessee? If you compare his stats over his last 24 games to those of Mahomes, you’ll find that Tannehill’s production stacks up to the former MVP’s in several major areas. In some ways, Tannehill has actually been better.

Have a look:

Ryan Tannehill = Patrick Mahomes? numbers wise, at least, yep. Actually better numbers.

One of the most underrated players in the entire league… meanwhile Mahomes gets everyone's attention. pic.twitter.com/785FbTUJc0

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 21, 2020

Stats can be manipulated in any number of ways, but those are all strong measures of a quarterback’s performance. The sample size is plenty big, too, as a 24-game stretch is hardly a fluke.

We’re not arguing that Tannehill is a better quarterback than Mahomes. That would just be silly, but he led the Titans to the AFC Championship game last year and has thrown for 3,482 yards, 31 touchdowns and just five interceptions this season. His passer rating is 110.4, which is fourth in the NFL and just barely behind Deshaun Watson and — you guessed it — Mahomes.

Aaron Rodgers, considered by many to be the consensus MVP, has 40 touchdown passes, four interceptions and a passer rating of 118.0. Tannehill’s numbers are even comparable to those.

Tannehill almost certainly will not win MVP, but he at least deserves to be in the discussion. His outstanding play is one of the main reasons the Titans are once again a top contender in the AFC.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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