In a season without the one great dominator, the race for the MVP title is also more open than it has been for a long time. However, a veteran is starting to put himself in position.

Munich – The reigning NFL MVP could only watch and marvel last weekend.

Well, whether Aaron Rodgers was amazed by the performance of his eternal nemesis Tom Brady, or whether he simply took note of what the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did with the Atlanta Falcons (which is more likely), remains to be seen.

But it is quite possible that the Green Bay Packers playmaker saw his replacement.

With his four touchdown passes and 368 yards (on a pick six, let’s not discount that one), Brady catapulted himself, in the opinion of many, definitively to the top of the race for the 2021 Most Valuable Player title.

An opinion that has plenty of statistical backing.

Tom Brady’s fabulous numbers in 2021

34 touchdowns TB12 now has to his credit. By comparison, no other player has more than 30.

3,771 passing yards are also a record after 13 days of play.

His passer rating of 104 is currently only good enough for fifth place (behind Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford and Rodgers), but Brady also won the MVP title with a worse average.

And, perhaps most importantly, unlike his closest competitors for the MVP crown, Murray and Rodgers, Brady hasn’t missed a game this season, has performed at a consistently high level, orchestrates the league’s most explosive offense and is likely to lead the Super Bowl champions into the postseason, possibly even as the NFC’s top seed.

It is not really likely that Brady will let up on the remaining five game days: With the Buffalo Bills only one opponent with a positive record is waiting, against the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and (twice) Carolina Panthers the 44-year-old should easily increase his account to over 40 touchdowns and over 4,000 yards. And that is still carefully calculated.

The easy remaining programme is certainly also a reason why the betting companies currently see the Bucs playmaker in the lead in the MVP race. At “DraftKings Sportsbook”, for example, Brady’s odds are currently at +175 (bet 100 euros to get 175 euros), Rodgers (+600) and Murray (+1,000) are already well behind.

MVP title: Will Brady break Brady’s record?

So it all seems to boil down to Brady’s fourth regular-season MVP title after 2007, 2010 and 2017, a ridiculous number compared to his five Super Bowl MVP titles and seven Super Bowl wins.

But considering his age of 44, admirable again. I’m sure Aaron Rodgers agrees.

If Brady were to win, he would become the oldest player ever to win the NFL MVP title. Previous record holder at 40 years and just under six months: Tom Brady.