Why is Aaron Rodgers favored to win 2021 NFL MVP award over Tom Brady?

The 2021 NFL MVP race appears to have come down to two legitimate candidates. It will more than likely be awarded to either Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady for their dominant performances in the regular season. Both enjoyed stellar campaigns, leading the Green Bay Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the joint-best record (13-4) in the NFL.

Rodgers is currently the favorite to win the 2021 NFL MVP award despite Brady posting higher totals in all of the cumulative passing statistics. Brady leads the entire NFL with 485 completions, 5,316 passing yards and 43 passing touchdowns while being the only quarterback in the 2021 season to average more than 300 passing yards per game.

Rodgers ranks 11th with 366 completions, is 10th with 4,115 passing yards and ranks 4th with 37 touchdown passes while averaging less than 260 yards per game. He is a fairly wide margin behind Brady in all of these statistics but is still the one who is favored to be named the 2021 NFL MVP. His efficiency is the biggest reason why.

Aaron Rodger's efficiency makes hime the favorite to win the 2021 NFL MVP award over Tom Brady

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

While Tom Brady dominated the cumulative passing statistics in the 2021 NFL season, Aaron Rodgers owned the efficiency ratings. Rodgers recorded a 111.9 passer rating and 69.2 QBR, both the highest in the NFL among all quarterbacks. Brady ranked second with a 68.1 QBR while ranking seventh with a 102.1 passer rating.

Rodgers also ranked third in the NFL with a 68.9 completion percentage, while Brady's 67.5 ranked ninth. The most impressive statistic that Rodgers dominated this year was his ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. He threw 37 touchdowns against just four interceptions, posting an insane 9.25 ratio. Rodgers' ratio topped the NFL by a wide margin, with Brady's 3.58 ratio ranking fifth.

While the Buccaneers and Packers finished tied for the best record in the NFL this season, Rodgers' record was better than Brady's. Excluding the Packers' Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions, when Rodgers only played for half of the game, Rodgers posted a 13-2 record in the regular season. Brady played all 17 of the Buccaneers' regular season games this year, posting a 13-4 record.

The 2021 NFL MVP award is based on regular season performance only, excluding the postseason, as it is every year. There are many legitimate reasons why Aaron Rodgers is currently the favorite over Tom Brady.