Chiefs' Walker Continues To Rise In Ranking Of Possible MVPs

How topsy-turvy have the first six weeks of the NFL season been?

Consider this:

• The Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and New York Giants are first-place teams

• The Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers are a combined 4-14

• The Minnesota Vikings (5-0) are one of three remaining undefeated teams despite ranking 31st in total offensive yards with 1,415, barely ahead of the winless Miami Dolphins (1,401).

• The latest squad to be dubbed a "Super Team" before the first ball was kicked, the Los Angeles Rams, are 2-4, beset by injuries and have seen their odds of making the playoffs as a lowly wild card fall to 36% after being at 83.3% in the preseason.

• And, according to one source, a player who was called "Mr. Irrelevant" when he was drafted and one who plays the supposedly "devalued" running back position are the favorites to win the NFL's MVP Award.

That source is Kevin Patra of NFL.com, who in the Oct. 20 version of his MVP Tracker, lists San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Brock Purdy - the erstwhile "Mr. Irrelevant" - as the favorite while Kansas City Chiefs' running back Kenneth Walker III is listed as the second choice.

Yes, it appears we've entered, "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - MASS HYSTERIA!" territory, as Bill Murray's Dr. Peter Venkman warned in "Ghostbusters."

Patra defended Walker's ranking by writing: "Walker has been the league's best running back, and when it comes to advanced metrics, it’s not particularly close. Per Next Gen Stats, the K.C. beast has generated 277 rushing yards over expected - more than 100 clear of the next-closest player (the Atlanta Falcons' Bijan Robinson at 170). His 13.2 rush EPA is nearly double No. 2 (the San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey at 6.8). And his EPA per carry of 0.12 is better than all comers (CMC second at 0.09).

"Personally, I think it’s clear Walker has easily been among the top five most valuable players through six weeks. That’s why he’ll remain high in my rankings despite what the odds might suggest."

The numbers don't lie. Through five games, Walker has 665 yards rushing on 106 carries (133 yards per game with a 6.3-yard average) with six touchdown runs. To put those numbers in historic perspective, Walker is the third running back in NFL history to have at least 650 yards rushing, six yards per attempt and six rushing touchdowns in a season's first five games.

The others? The Cleveland Browns' Jim Brown in 1958 and 1963 and the Buffalo Bills' O.J. Simpson in 1973, with Brown winning MVP in '58 and Simpson nabbing the award in '73.

If Walker, who is on pace to set new single-season records for rushing yardage (2,261) and total yards (2,584), were to win MVP it would end a long drought for the RB position, which isn't bad for a guy that some said was being overpaid when the Chiefs inked him to a 3-year, $43.05-million free-agent deal in March.

The Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson was the last RB to grab the MVP silverware, which he accomplished in 2012. Since then, all 13 MVP awards have been handed to quarterbacks.

A look at Peterson's numbers that season shows that Walker is well ahead of "Purple Jesus'" pace at this point of the season. In 2012, Peterson had only 420 yards rushing on 96 carries after five games, averages of 84 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry.

Of course, Peterson went nuclear after that. From Weeks 6-16, he ran for 1,677 yards - with two 200-yard-plus games, and 199- and 182-yard efforts thrown in - on 235 carries for a per-game average of 152.5 yards and a staggering 7.1 yards per carry. He finished with 2,097 yards on the ground, a scant eight behind the Los Angeles Rams' Eric Dickerson, who set the mark of 2,103, which still stands, in 1984.

Walker's next chance to add to his record-setting start is a notable one: a trip on Sunday night to face the Seattle Seahawks, the team with which he won the Super Bowl LX MVP Award in February before Seattle decided not to offer him a new contract, which allowed the Chiefs to gratefully swoop in and sign him.