You're probably wondering why we're trying to predict the MVP Award after Week 1. Well, we did it last year and Peyton Manning was on top of our list after Week 1 and he ended up winning the award, so our track record here is 100 percent.
When your track record is 100 percent at something, you should keep doing it. Unless 100 percent of the passes you're throwing are going incomplete -- like I think Eli Manning did last week -- then you should stop.
Every week, we'll give you an MVP projection here and every week, you'll see a lot of quarterbacks on our list. That's not an accident though, it more has to do with the fact that six of the past seven MVP's have been quarterbacks and 11 of the past 14.
That last sentence leads perfectly into this week's MVP projection, which has a quarterback at the top of the list.
MVP Projection
1. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan: I'm pretty sure what Matt Ryan did to the Saints defense on Sunday is illegal in Georgia. Of course, a lot of things are illegal in Georgia. For instance, you literally could not buy alcohol on Sundays until 2011.
Here's a list of things the Falcons quarterback did against New Orleans: He threw for 448 yards, which was the most in franchise history and the second highest Week 1 total ever for someone who didn't throw an interception behind Peyton Manning's 462-yards last season. Ryan also threw three touchdown passes, which gives him 156 for his career, a Falcons franchise record.
I'm not the only one who thought Ryan looked good, French people were thinking it too.
2. Texans defensive end J.J. Watt: J.J. Watt was so good against the Redskins on Sunday that even Texans owner Bob McNair was joking about it after the game -- and owners never joke.
"The only thing he didn’t do was intercept a pass and run it back," McNair said.
Watt also didn't deliver a baby on the sideline, but he probably would have if someone had asked. A defensive player hasn't won the NFL MVP award since Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor did it in 1986. If anyone can end that streak though, it's Watt -- and he got off to a good start in Week 1.
The $100 million man sacked RG3 once, blocked an extra point, recovered a fumble, batted down a pass and pressured Griffin at least five more times. If Watt's looking for something to do with his new contract money, he should think about constructing a trophy room because if he keeps playing like this, he's going to need a place to put his MVP award.
3. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning: Peyton Manning is the reigning MVP and if you've been following Manning's career, you may have noticed that he always wins this award twice in a row. He did it in 2003 and 2004, then he did it again in 2008 and 2009. That's not the only reason Manning's on this list though, he actually deserves to be here.
Peyton threw three touchdown passes in ONE QUARTER against Indianapolis, which is more than any other quarterback except for Matt Ryan threw in their entire Week 1 game.
Peyton's performance led to an interesting aroma in this guy's house.
Also, it doesn't really count for anything, but Manning's win over the Colts makes him only the second quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams. You shouldn't get an MVP Trophy for that, but you should get something.
4. Lions WR Calvin Johnson: Megatron doesn't need me to make a case for why he should be on this list because he has LeBron James and Kevin Durant to do that for him.
Do you see that hashtag? He's LeBron's favorite player in the world! What now Johnny Manziel? LeBron was playing you.
Lets see what Durant has to say.
Do you see that hashtag? BEST WIDEOUT EVER. Jerry Rice probably doesn't agree, but who cares because Jerry Rice hasn't won five of the past six NBA MVP awards like LeBron and KD have.
On a serious note, Johnson is on pace for 2,624 receiving yards this season and I'm not completely convinced it can't happen.
5. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford: Matthew Stafford is pretty much an NFL anomaly that no one can explain. Sometimes he looks great, but then other times he looks like he's borrowing talent from Brandon Weeden. Stafford didn't look like he was borrowing Weeden's talent on Monday though.
Stafford threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns.
Forty-one percent of the reason Stafford's on the list this week is because of the 16-yard touchdown pass you see below where he's running left and he ends up throwing to his right off of his back foot. Sporting News called the pass insane, the Detroit Free-Press described it as a 'major violation of quarterback principles.'
I call it vintage Stafford. Whatever that means.
By the way, just to show you how weird Stafford's career really is: Monday was the first time since 2012 that the Lions won a game when Stafford DIDN'T throw an interception. The Lions had been 0-6 in games where Stafford didn't throw a pick. Usually, teams lose when their quarterback is throwing interceptions, the Lions were losing when Stafford wasn't throwing interceptions.
6. Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake: If you turned off the Miami-New England game at halftime on Sunday, no one can blame you. The Dolphins looked helpless. The Patriots were coasting and it looked like New England was going to get out of Miami with a three touchdown win. That didn't happen though thanks in large part to Cameron Wake's second half.
Here's what Wake did in the second half: He sacked Tom Brady twice and both times he caused a fumble. Those fumbles led directly to 10 Miami points and seemed to cause jitters in Brady, who went 6 of 20 for 31 yards in the fourth quarter.
Guy that has no chance to win the MVP but we're going to mention anyway -- Titans K Ryan Succop: Succop got cut by the Chiefs in August, then signed with Tennessee and guess what happened? In his first game with the Titans, he got to play Kansas City. Hold on, it gets better. Not only did Succop play the Chiefs, he outscored them on his own (14-10).