NFL Awards Watch: Cam Newton-Tom Brady MVP race isn’t close yet

People are discussing this season’s NFL MVP race as if it’s very close, but I don’t see it that way. Not yet at least.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady should be running away with the award. And before you start, no, I don’t hate Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (in fact, I’ve been bashing the unnecessary criticism of him for years, way before it became cool).

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In recent years, when there’s a close MVP race people pick sides and feel the need to find fault in the player they aren’t backing. Mike Trout’s MVP candidacy a few years ago shouldn’t have had to include bashing Miguel Cabrera, but that’s what it became in many circles. That’s not going to happen here. Newton has been great. The Panthers have built their entire offense around him, not only in the passing game but the ground game as well. Newton is unlike any quarterback we’ve seen before, because he’s bigger than many linebackers (seriously, he’s listed as seven pounds heavier than 238-pound Luke Kuechly, and I’d guess it’s at least 17 pounds) and he has one of the NFL’s best arms. He can make a flat-footed throw 55 yards in the air and hit his target in stride. He’s a treat to watch. His enthusiasm makes the game fun too.

That’s all great, but Brady has simply been better.

Brady’s team is undefeated too, of course. I don’t buy that MVP votes should come down to who has the better teammates. Players shouldn’t be penalized for having other good players around them. Brady clearly has a better supporting cast, but that’s out of his control. And he makes the supporting cast he has much better. Brady is having an otherworldly season, with 25 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 107.4 rating. He’s on pace for 5,312 yards. Newton has been great too, but Brady has been significantly better in every passing measure. It’s not close enough where Newton’s rushing stats (or even his lack of a great supporting cast) close the gap.

That said, there’s still a lot of time left, and late-season surges are given extra weight with every award for every sport. So are top-shelf performances on Thanksgiving, and Newton has a chance to make a huge step if he torches the Dallas Cowboys like he did the Washington Redskins last week. A big performance with everyone watching the marquee game of the day — and don’t forget Brady has a tough assignment against the Denver Broncos’ top-ranked defense this week with a lot of his receivers hurt — could start to make it a really interesting race.

But it shouldn’t be close race now. It’s Brady’s award and Newton has a long way to go to catch up.

MVP rankings

1. Brady

2. Newton

3. Carson Palmer, Arizona — Palmer fits Bruce Arians’ aggressive offense perfectly.

4. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals — If you watched last week, you had to be impressed at how Dalton brought his team back in the fourth quarter.

5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers — There’s a big gap between No. 4 and 5. I’d love to put a non-quarterback in the top five, but who? We’ll revisit that question next week.

Here’s a look at the other major awards after 11 weeks …

Defensive player of the year: Remember when J.J. Watt was having a quiet season? Well, he has 7.5 sacks in his last four games, and the Houston Texans are 3-1 in those games as they’ve climbed back into a first-place tie in the (admittedly bad) AFC South. He leads the NFL with 11.5 sacks. If I had to vote now I’d still go with Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, who has been outstanding all season. But I think we all see where this is going. The Watt train is gaining steam.

The ballot: 1. Norman, 2. Watt, 3. Arizona CB/S Tyrann Mathieu

Offensive player of the year: I’ll include this because it’s a major award, but I never understand the logic of voting for someone other than your MVP unless specifically instructed to do so. So my pick is Brady.

The ballot: Same as MVP

Coach of the year: Sometime soon I’ll complain about how this award is decided (in short, it’s always based on which preseason media prediction was the most incorrect … like there needs to be some explanation other than just a media prediction being really wrong), but let’s be clear, if the award wasn’t decided by such a weird criteria it would easily go to New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. He’s undefeated after a pretty big offseason controversy, and has kept this team focused despite it coming off a Super Bowl championship. He’s the best coach. The best coach never wins this award. I don’t get it.

The ballot: 1. Belichick, 2. Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, 3. Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis

Offensive rookie of the year: This is a fun category, and I have the feeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is going to make a really nice push in the last six games. I’m still hanging on to St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley for one more week, because his recent slump doesn’t erase how great he was his first four starts.

The ballot: 1. Gurley, 2. Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper, 3. Winston

Defensive rookie of the year: The weird Kwon Alexander PED suspension/”It was an energy drink!” story makes this a difficult pick. I won’t punish the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker yet, but I’m going to give the top spot to the rightful winner: Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks. He won’t ultimately win it, because he’s on injured reserve now and we’ll forget about him by season’s end, but make no mistake — he was the best defensive rookie this season. He deserves to be on top of this list for at least a week.

The ballot: 1. Hicks, 2. Alexander, 3. New Orleans Saints LB Stephone Anthony

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab