Why Carson Wentz is a dark horse for MVP

If you are tuned into the blog for strictly Cowboys takes then this one might rub you the wrong way, but these are just the facts. With the recent release of the NFL schedule and the odds for the NFL’s MVP award just dropping I figured I give you reason to believe that Carson Wentz has a great chance of being next year’s MVP. My definition of darkhorse is someone out of the top 5 odds. Dak Prescott does fit that category at number 6, but the odds can shift rather quickly. Therefore, he’s too close to the cusp for me and frankly I think the Eagles based off their schedule will have one more win than the Cowboys.

While you might think I have a little too much dip on my chip for this take, I will first lead you down memory lane. Wentz in his spectacular 2017 season was on an MVP pace and most likely would’ve won if he would’ve finished he season. While this could be seen as conjecture his numbers were not: 33 TD’s and 7 INT’s in 13 games with just two losses and more than 3200 yards if you were having trouble remembering. While the Eagles did win the Super Bowl that year with out Wentz, they aren’t sniffing the playoffs without him either. Last year, Wentz basically willed his team into the playoffs after his wide receiver core was decimated and his secondary did him no favors. These notes are the precursor to what could and potentially will happen in the fall of 2020 as long as we have a season.

With a healthy WR core, Wentz plays at an MVP level. This is indisputable. If you don’t believe me, then please check 2017 All-Pro list; Tom Brady was one (2017 MVP), Carson Wentz was two and that’s the list. This offseason, the Eagles upgraded heavily at WR - first round pick Jalen Reagor and former olympian Marquise Goodwin. Also, Philly drafted two other explosive receivers in Quez Watkins and John Hightower. Health is always been an issue for the Eagles, but now they have actual depth at the WR position. This solves problem number one which is the receiving core.

Returning to my earlier notion that the Eagles would have one more win than the Cowboys and how this corroborates Wentz’s potential MVP. The Eagles conservatively speaking might lose four games this season. Philadelphia plays only two road games against playoff teams from last year. Philly welcomes in only four playoff teams at home and outside of the Ravens, the Eagles will be favored in those games. While I think they will split with the Cowboys, the Eagles will have plenty of chances to win against tough teams and not so tough teams. In my super early outlook the Eagles lose three games (Cowboys, Baltimore, and Seattle) and with these teams having tougher schedules this will not put a hamper on the Wentz’s MVP chances.

A quick dive into the schedule showcases that nine of the 16 opponents for the Eagles this upcoming season (counting NFC East opponents twice) were in the lower half of the league in passing TD's allowed and two teams, the Rams and Steelers, were 14th and 15th respectively. In conjunction, eight opponents were in the lower half of the league in passing yards given up. While this doesn't scream 12 wins, by adding the Cowboys to the list because of their loss of Byron Jones in the secondary and both the Steelers and Browns whose offense won't compare to the Eagles this take is starting to take shape. There is a great potential for Wentz to feast on almost three fourths of the teams he will play this year assuming both his health and the health of his receivers holds true. This is an ideal schedule Eagles and especially Wentz.

Lastly, the only thing that could impact his chance to win MVP is his health. While he played 16 games last year, he was knocked out of the playoff game with the Seahawks due to a concussion. His escaping from the pocket these past two seasons has not been because of a cavalier attitude, but because he’s felt the need to do it all on his own. Wentz has even said this to the media and Doug Pederson has made mention that this is something his starting QB still needs to work on. This won’t be an issue this season is because of the earlier mentioned point about his new and improved receiving core. Anything can happen out of the pocket and our prayer is that no player ever gets hurt. Therefore, I will not incorporate that fully into this discussion. The point is made strictly to let ya know I have thought about it, but this shouldn’t be a knock on a QB with All-Pro potential.

So, will Carson Wentz will the MVP? The jury of course is still out. Will Dak Prescott have a better season? Well, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to know that. Just know, that Wentz has all of the ability to do so and this upcoming season will have the tools at his disposal to engineer an MVP season.