Last August I said in the past that Tyreek Hill was a high tide that could lift Tua Tagovailoa boat. I didn’t expect Miami’s underground offensive to turn into a seaplane.
Hill watching the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl without him should have been a humbling experience. Not only did Patrick Mahomes lead the entire league in passing, but he became the first-ever quarterback to win the Super Bowl in the same year. In a 17-game season, I’m not sure exactly where the midpoint is, but with the Week 9 Thursday Night Football contest now in the books, it seems like more than time to proclaim Hill the midpoint MVP. season. It seems like heresy to call a receiver the most important player on an offense, but Hill has been such a heavy hitter in 2023 that it seems lazy to return well at quarterback.
Defenses might be able to suppress Tagovailoa or force him into a mistake, but they can’t stifle Hill for 60 minutes. And in the midst of a rough first half of the NFL season, in which no quarterback got off to a hot start, it’s time to look elsewhere for the answer to MVP questions.
Instead, ESPN asked 12 analysts to rank and explain their MVP favorites, but somehow Hill can’t catch up in the race. The five names proposed by ESPN? Honorable mention Tagovailoa, Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts. They threw non-quarterbacks a bone with McCaffrey, but somehow Hill couldn’t make the cut despite leading his entire position group in yards, yards after catches, receptions on first downs and touchdowns. What else should he do? He’s three catches behind Stefon Diggs after making a clean slate.
There are no gimmicks in what Hill does. I understand that quarterbacks are graded on a curve, but as great as Tagovailoa is, Hill helped him achieve the biggest turnaround since Lance Alworth saved Dan Fouts’ struggling career. Mahomes and Hurts were too good to deny last season, but both are coming off closer wins these days. In the context of the MVP race, there’s nothing wrong with moving on.
During a rough first half of the season in which neither quarterback got off to a hot start, it’s time to look to other positions to find the answer to this year’s MVP question. Instead, 12 ESPN analysts asked to rank and explain their MVP favorites offered the following: Tagovailoa, Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts as honorable mentions. They threw non-QBs a bone with McCaffrey, but couldn’t be bothered to include a receiver who leads his position group in yards, yards after catch, receptions on first downs and touchdowns.
NFL.com, meanwhile, had Mahomes, Tagovailoa, then Lamar Jackson as 1-2-3 in the early MVP race, followed by Myles Garrett and Jared Goff. The lack of respect towards the receivers is blatant.
Quarterbacks have always had a monopoly on MVP, and no wide receiver has ever won the award since its inception. Exceptions should be made this year. When Cooper Kupp won the Triple Crown, leading the league in receptions, catches and touchdowns, he only came third. However, this group of quarterbacks is more flawed than Kupp’s 2021 MVP opposition. The winner in 2021 was Aaron Rodgers, who recorded a 70.9 QBR after throwing 37 touchdowns to four interceptions. Tagovailoa’s numbers this year are commendable, but not as impeccable as Rodgers’ 2021 campaign.
Bless Tagovailoa’s heart, but his season just doesn’t compare. And worse still, its favorite target accounts for almost half of its production. As great as Mahomes is, he’s having a rough year. NFL voters don’t need to give him MVP votes out of some strange sense of duty. A truly historic season is unfolding and NFL cognoscenti have been brainwashed into supporting the quarterback.
Teams around the league started running a deep pass because of Hill and he still ranks second in 20-yard catches and first in 40-yard catches. This week is a huge opportunity for him to definitively mark the season and get into the heart of the race in Germany on Sunday morning by taking his former team to the stake.
Follow DJ Dunson on X: @brain sport