Tom Brady will go down in history as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game of football. Despite missing the first four games, nothing has changed this season. But as the 2016 season crosses the half way mark, many people are asking, should Tom Brady win the Most Valuable Player award?

The short answer: no. The award is given to the player who has contributed most to his team’s success. Brady, who already has two MVP awards under his belt (2007, 2010), was suspended for the first four games of the season due to his suspected role in Deflategate.

In that time, the Patriots went 3-1. Since Brady’s return in Week 5, they are 4-1. While Brady has been extremely impressive in the past five games (125.5 QBR, 1,635 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, one interception), he isn’t the most crucial contributor to his team’s success.

The success of the Patriots is also attributed to the unexpected triumphs of Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, the backups who filled in for Brady during his abscence. While Brady’s suspension hurts his chances for the MVP, the competition is making it even more difficult.

On top of Brady, the popular candidates for MVP include Matt Ryan, Derek Carr, Dak Prescott, and Ezekiel Elliott.

Matt Ryan has easily had the most impressive season in terms of numbers, leading the league in passing yards (3,247) and being tied with Drew Brees for most passing touchdowns (24). And even though Ryan’s Falcons hold the worst record amongst popular MVP candidates (6-4), this can be attributed to the Atlanta’s lackluster defense.

The Falcons’ defense is ranked 30^th in yards allowed on the season. The only teams with more yards allowed are the Browns and 49ers, whose combined record is 1-18.

Next in line is the gunslinger, Derek Carr. In his third season, Derek Carr has taken the Oakland Raiders from 4-12 (their record before his rookie season) to their current 7-2 mark.

While Derek Carr doesn’t stand out statistically, he is simply clutch. In the first game of the year, Carr showed off his ability under pressure by not only scoring a touchdown in the final minute to bring the Raiders within one point, but he was trusted to go for a two-point conversion to win the game (which he did), rather than tie it.

Carr has also put together two other game winning drives in the final minutes against the Ravens in week four and in overtime against the Buccaneers in week seven.  

Last is the tag team duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. The rookie duo has taken the football world by storm, leading their team to the best record in the National Football League (8-1).

Together, Elliott and Prescott have guided Dallas to fifth in total offensive yards and fifth in total points on the season. Together, they seem unstoppable—apart, not as much.

Elliott’s numbers are incredible, leading the league in rushing yards, and he will most likely receive the Rookie of the Year Award. But what attracts skeptics to Elliott is the quality of the Dallas offensive line.

Since the Dallas offensive line is so impressive, Elliott’s numbers can be more attributed to the blocking of the offensive line rather than the skill of Elliott himself.

Prescott on the other hand is less impressive statistically. Prescott has amassed 2,339 passing yards, which is 18^th in the NFL. What makes Prescott a contender is his consistency and reliability at the quarterback position. Prescott’s average QBR of 106.2 is the fourth highest in the NFL and extremely impressive for a fourth round pick rookie.

While the MVP race is highly contested and still up in the air, there are still seven weeks of football left in the season for new contenders to arise and current contenders to fall. And as playoffs loom around the corner and teams are solidifying their season identities, the football world can only wait to see what happens.