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New England Patriots QB Tom Brady Could Make or Break MVP Chances In Week 11

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By @Will_Gellman

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The New England Patriots will have a lot at stake this week when they travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts. The difference between a No. 1 seed in the playoffs and potentially a No. 3 seed (should Denver win) is potentially at stake. While the Patriots winning the game is obviously the most pressing matter for the Pats and their fans, Tom Brady has quite a bit riding on his individual performance as well.

At the moment, Brady finds himself in some pretty good company among the top contenders for 2014 NFL MVP honors. While he does not lead the league in yards or touchdown passes, he does have an unbelievable stat line.

Among other things, Brady is tied with Aaron Rodgers with just three interceptions, the lowest number in the league thus far for full-time starting signal callers. His 22 touchdown passes is good for fifth in the league as well. Had it not been for a struggling offensive line and receiving corps at the beginning of the season, it is possible Brady could conceivably be atop that list.

Given the fact that Brady and Andrew Luck – a player who is among his top competition for the award — play each other, Brady could pass him in the voting if he were to have a statement game and beat Luck in his house. If Luck was to turn the ball over and look mediocre against the Patriots’ defense, it could further help Brady’s chances as well.

While there are other candidates for MVP to consider, like Ben Roethlisberger, DeMarco Murray, Peyton Manning, Rodgers, etc. Brady might have the edge for the award to the voters. Why? Because he has far less to work with than these other players. For example, Roethlisberger has Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Heath Miller and an excellent running game in Leveon Bell and LeGarrette Blount. Manning has the best receiving corps in the league, Rodgers has a stacked offense as well, and while Murray has been dominant this year, he is still an RB in a passing league.

If Brady can stay even close to these players statistically, there is probably a more than decent chance that Brady will win. He has just Rob Gronkowski (when healthy, which he wasn’t at the beginning of the year), Julian Edelman and Brandon Lafell (when he isn’t invisible) in the offense to work with. With all of those things being the case, if Brady can go out and dominate the Colts tonight, he might just be on the fast track to another MVP award this year.

Will Gellman is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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