Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to make those that picked him to win MVP look smart. After nine games of play, the third-year Pro Bowler has his Texans at 6-3. Individually, he is in the thick of a three-man race for MVP.
Watson, Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson are all in contention to win the league’s highest individual honor. According to ESPN, Wilson leads the pack, with Jackson and Watson following, in that respective order.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Matt Bowen, Mike Clay, Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Kevin Seifert and Field Yates are complimentary of the third-place candidate in Watson.
Their reasoning for Watson’s ranking in ESPN’s NFL MVP stock watch:
“In his first nine games, Watson reached career highs in passer rating (107.1), completion percentage (70.2%) and passing yards per game (270.2). He has plenty of MVP-worthy moments, such as throwing a winning touchdown pass against the Raiders after being kicked in the eye and leading Houston to a blowout against Jacksonville the following week in his fourth game this season with multiple passing touchdowns and no interceptions. The only player with more such games is Wilson (seven).
The Texans are atop the AFC South because of what they’re doing offensively with Watson at the helm. In two full seasons’ worth of games, Watson has 75 total touchdowns, the second-most during such as span in NFL history. Coming off a bye in Week 10, Watson has the chance to put his MVP candidacy front and center when he faces off against Jackson and the Ravens.”
On the season, Watson has thrown for 2,432 yards and 18 touchdowns to five interceptions, while also pitching in 279 rush yards and five ground touchdown. If he can lead Houston to a win over the Jackson-led Ravens on Sunday, those MVP chants may be getting louder.