Why did Aaron Rodgers win NFL MVP over Tom Brady?

The NFL Honors award show took place on Thursday night, and all eyes were on the MVP race between Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. The former had already taken home first-team All-Pro honors over the latter, so the final outcome was foreshadowed.

He did ultimately win the MVP award for the fourth time in his career. This also marked back-to-back award wins for the Green Bay Packers superstar. Yet social media was abuzz soon after, given the fact Brady seemingly had the better statistics throughout the season.

Brady led the NFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns, and he also played the full slate of 17 games. Yet Rodgers still won by a landslide, and it has plenty of fans wondering why.

Why was Aaron Rodgers the MVP over Tom Brady?

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brady led the NFL with 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns. Rodgers was behind in both categories with 4,115 yards and 37 touchdowns. Both quarterbacks also guided their respective teams to 13-4 finishes.

The NFL MVP award has unofficially become an honor reserved for the best quarterback in the league. And when making that determination, stats come into play right away. So that is where confusion comes in for those who saw Brady as the better option.

But there are some numbers in the Packers signal-caller's favor. He threw only four interceptions all year, compared to Brady's 12, and threw almost 200 fewer passes. Efficiency is the one thing in Rodgers' favor compared to his counterpart. He was throwing the ball much less and making each throw count. His 111.9 passer rating was also good for first among NFL quarterbacks.

So the reasoning here moves away from simply counting stats, such as yards and touchdowns. The same is true for wins. Rodgers was seen as doing more with less. Brady, meanwhile, compiled bigger stats because of a larger volume of throws.

But the debate rages on because Brady still took home some MVP votes. The breakdown lies between those who only care about numbers, no matter how they are attained, and those truly seeking the "value" of a player, along with the numbers.

Determining who is the most valuable remains a subjective process, with the stats there to assist in the decision. Another thing in the MVP's favor is the fact he missed a game, only for Jordan Love and the offense to stall out against the Kansas City Chiefs. The star quarterback returned, injured toe and all, and the offense returned to its normal state of dominance.

So there was physical evidence of how much the Packers struggled without him on the field. That may have helped sway plenty of voters who also just grew accustomed to Brady's regular greatness. Sometimes being so great hurts one's ability to shine on an annual basis. Brady going well over 40 touchdowns was almost an expectation given his success in recent years.

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