5. Tom Brady

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Before people bear arms just here me out. Tom Brady may not have had the best statistical season among NFL quarterbacks in 2013. In fact, his numbers were severely depleted in some areas compared to a typical Brady season. With that being said, he still passed for 4,343 yards, 25 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and had an 87.3 passer rating.

More importantly, the main reason he comes in at No. 5 on the countdown is because he was able to do it without any stars on his supporting cast. Look at the weapons the Denver Broncos have surrounded Manning with and then check out what the New England Patriots gave Brady. There are only a few quarterbacks who could have put up the season Brady had with a bunch of nobody’s around him. No disrespect to Julian Edelman and the injured Rob Gronkowski. On top of that, Brady led the Patriots to a 12-4 record and the second seed in the AFC.

4. LeSean McCoy

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LeSean McCoy has quickly become one of the most dangerous players in football after the installment of Chip Kelly’s offense. He had a monstrous season in 2013 as he led the NFL in rushing yards (1,607) and yards per game (100.4). The Philadelphia Eagles may have got knocked out of the first round of the playoffs, but there’s no question they will be the team to beat going forward because of McCoy.

3. Russell Wilson

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In my opinion, Russell Wilson is the best quarterback out of the 2012 NFL Draft class. In fact, I don’t believe that will ever change, especially if he’s able to put an exclamation point on this season in a few weeks. Wilson has lost just one game at home in his career, and he’s accomplishing things no other signal caller has in his first two years in the NFL. In fact, his 24 wins over the past two years is the most by a quarterback in his first two NFL seasons.

In regards to strictly this season, Wilson continuously makes plays every time he touches the ball. Whether it’s through the air or on the ground, the signal caller seems to makes jaws drop, as he always appears to get the job done. He tossed 26 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. Even more impressive, he posted 3,896 all-purpose yards and a 101.2 passer rating. Of course, the fact that the 25-year-old has the Seattle Seahawks in the No. 1 seed with a 13-3 record is by far the best part about his performance in 2013.

2. Jamaal Charles

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To be mentioned in the conversation for MVP of the league, one must first be the MVP of his team. There’s no question running back Jamaal Charles was the best player on the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013. The 27-year-old continues to get better after each passing season, excluding his torn ACL in 2011 of course.

Charles may not have set a career-high in rushing yards or yards per carry. However, he did manage to record an impressive 19 total touchdowns, including a league-high 12 rushing scores. On top of that, he had 1,980 all-purpose yards. There’s no doubt the Chiefs wouldn’t have been in the position they were in this season without the outstanding performance from Charles.

1. Peyton Manning

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It’s no shocker that Manning will be crowned the league’s MVP at the 2013 NFL Honors on Feb. 1. The legend set NFL single-season records for passing touchdowns (55), passing yards (5,477) and the most four-touchdown passing games (9). He also tied several other NFL records, as well as, broke a bunch of Broncos franchise records. As if it couldn’t get any better, the 37-year-old led Denver to a 13-3 record and the first seed in the AFC. Personally, I would be surprised if the Broncos didn’t reach the Super Bowl solely based on the play of their quarterback.