With one game remaining in the 2020 NFL season, the race for NFL MVP is nearly over. The voting for the award is held before the start of the playoffs and postseason performance is not taken into consideration when determining the winner.

The two frontrunners for the award this season are Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Both players have won the MVP in prior seasons. Mahomes won most recently, capturing the award in 2018 while Rodgers won in 2011 and 2014.

Here is a look at the two and a look at which one of them should be named the NFL MVP for 2020:

Statistics:

                                                Attempts             Completions      PCT        Yards     Y/A         TD           INT         Rating

Rodgers                               502                         353                         70.3        4,059     8.1          44           5              119.4

Mahomes                             588                         390                         66.3        4,740     8.1          38           6              108.2

If you go by straight statistics, Rodgers clearly has the edge. He presently leads the league in touchdowns with 44, one shy of his career high set back in 2011, one of his two previous MVP campaigns.

His completion percentage is also four points higher than Mahomes’ and that is not because either quarterback is throwing short all the time because both candidates have an identical 8.1-yards per attempt.

The biggest edge Mahomes has is in passing yards. The Chiefs signal caller leads the league with 4,740 and could exceed 5,000 yards for the season with 260 passing yards in the season finale against the Chargers on Sunday. So, the main reason Mahomes has more passing yards than Rodgers is because he has thrown 86 more passes than Rodgers.

Rodgers also has a substantial advantage in touchdown percentage. The Packers starter leads the league with an 8.8 percent touchdown percentage, Mahomes has 6.5 percent.

Rodgers also has a higher completion percentage and has thrown fewer interceptions than Mahomes. Both quarterbacks have a 1.0 percent interception percentage for the season.

Mahomes has led the Chiefs to the league’s best record at 14-1-0 while Rodgers has led the Packers to a 12-3-0 record. Both teams enter Week 17 as the top seed in their respective conferences.

Both quarterbacks have been remarkably consistent this season but Rodgers has been more so. In 15 games, Rodgers has 13 games with at least a 100.0 quarterback and had only one game below 90. He has been excellent week in and week out. Mahomes has been less consistent. Six times, Mahomes has had a passer rating of below 100 including the last four games of the present season. So not only has Rodgers been more consistent, but he has also played better down the stretch than his top competitor.

Mahomes has three games with four or more touchdown passes this season including one with five TD tosses. Rodgers has thrown four or more touchdowns in a game six times this season although he has never thrown more than four in a game.

The Packers are presently the top scoring offense in the NFL with 474 points. The Chiefs are not far behind with 452. So, Rodgers’ team is averaging 31.6-points per game while Mahomes’ club is averaging 30.1.

A difficult part of the debate is determining which quarterback has more talent around them. The Chiefs seem to have more weapons at the so-called skill positions with Travis Kelce being one of the best tight ends in the NFL and outstanding receiving weapons like the speedy Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson.

The Packers are stronger at running back with Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams and rookie A.J. Dillon which is a deeper and more talented group than Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell.

Tight end Robert Tonyan is having a breakout season and probably should have made the Pro Bowl, but he is not at the same elite level as Kelce just yet.

But at wide receiver, the talent level drops off after Davante Adams with Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown not as experienced or as accomplished as the Chiefs receiving corps.

Both teams have excellent offensive lines with the Green Bay line allowing fewer sacks thus far albeit in fewer passing attempts. Give a slight edge to Rodgers and the Packers in this category.

There also may be a sentimental reason for Rodgers to win the award this year. The Packers quarterback just turned 37 and is admittedly in the back nine of his Hall of Fame career. Mahomes is 25 and is just entering his prime. In theory, Mahomes will have more chances to win the award in the future than Rodgers will.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur certainly believes his quarterback should win the award. Earlier this month, he touted Rodgers for the league’s MVP. “A guy of his caliber, who, without a doubt in my mind, should be the front runner for the MVP,” LaFleur told reporters after the Packers defeated the Lions for the second time. “I mean, he does it consistently every time we go out on that field. It gives you a lot of confidence that you’re going to come out with a victory.”

Overall, Rodgers has done more with less over the course of the season. His overall numbers are slightly better and he’s been more consistent than Mahomes. Rodgers should get the edge in a close race between two outstanding football players.