ClutchPoints
Week 12 gave us a wild Sunday in the NFL, with the playoff picture shifting in both conferences. The Ravens moved into the AFC North lead, Matthew Stafford and the Rams took over pole position for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and Drake Maye and the Patriots also took the top spot in the AFC with a win over the Bengals.
On the individual side, Sunday was also a very consequential one for the MVP race. Stafford, Josh Allen and Jonathan Taylor, who came in at No. 2 and No. 4 in last week’s rankings, both played in high-profile games with chances to make a statement. Did they do enough to move up in the MVP power rankings after Week 12?
Honorable mention: Chargers QB Justin Herbert, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Browns DE Myles Garrett, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
With Justin Herbert on a bye in Week 12, the opportunity was there for someone to have a big day and grab the No. 5 spot in these rankings. Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba did just that, posting eight catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-24 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Smith-Njigba broke the Seahawks’ single-season receiving yards record in the win, going over 1,300 for the year in just 11 games. At his current pace, he would break the all-time single-season receiving yards record currently held by Calvin Johnson and become the first player to surpass 2,000 yards in a season.
If he is able to do that, all while being the primary focus of one of the elite passing games in football (and one that doesn’t throw the ball all that much), he will only continue to rise up this list.
Jonathan Taylor had a chance to make a big statement on Sunday and help further damage the Chiefs’ playoff hopes, but none of that came to fruition in a 23-20 overtime loss. Taylor had his worst game of the season in terms of EPA and his second-worst in terms of total yardage, notching just 58 yards on 16 carries.
The Colts offense as a while sputtered without Taylor producing like he usually does, failing to get a single first down in the fourth quarter and overtime as they saw an 11-point lead disappear.
Taylor’s amazing statistical output and his value to the Indianapolis offense keeps him solidly at No. 4 on this list, but he can’t afford any more games like Sunday if he wants to make a push for the top spot.
Allen was already chasing the top two on this list, but he lost ground in Week 12 when he took a career-high eight sacks in prime time against the Houston Texans in a 23-19 loss on Thursday night. The Texans’ defense, like it does to most opponents, suffocated a Buffalo offense that is banged up on the offensive line and doesn’t have...
