Written by Rob Mason at The Sports Quotient
When people think of the Most Valuable Player for the 2015 NFL season, marquee names like Tom Brady, Cam Newton, and Adrian Peterson come to mind. While each of those superstars are having excellent years, the player leading the 9-2 Arizona Cardinals is the real MVP. That man is quarterback Carson Palmer.
Before the season, Palmer as an MVP candidate might have seemed absurd. Some writers across the nation were considering him as a potential Comeback Player of the Year. But MVP? Come on, not a chance!
Palmer is about to turn 36 and missed the final seven games of last season. He was placed on the Injured Reserve after only starting six games with a torn ACL. An old player with a bad knee isn’t supposed to perform how Palmer is here in 2015.
Through 11 games this season, Palmer has started each game and has played in every snap, except when Head Coach Bruce Arians rests his starters at the end of a blowout game. Not only is he just playing, but he’s also playing at a very high level.
Palmer has thrown for the third most yards this season (3,337), the second most touchdowns (27), and has the second highest passer rating (105.9) among all NFLquarterbacks. He also leads the league in QBR (82.1), touchdown percentage (7.1%), yards per completion (13.8), and yards per attempt (8.8).
The 2004 first overall pick is on pace to set career highs across the board. His personal records of 4,274 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, a 101.1 passer rating, and a 67.7 QBR are all about to be shattered.
Palmer’s body might be well past his prime, but his mind is as sharp as ever. The 12-year veteran continuously picks apart the defense and utilizes eye contact and pump fakes to shift the defense one side only to throw a dime on the other side of the field. Take this touchdown pass to Michael Floyd below as an example:
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