Throughout the Playoffs, the NFL MVP race seemed like a close competition between Atlanta's Matt Ryan, New England's Tom Brady, and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers.
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At the end of the day, the NFL decided to award the MVP to a first-timer, announcing that Ryan had won the award after leading the Falcons to an appearance in the Super Bowl.
🚨🚨 Matty Ice = M-V-P! 🚨🚨@M_Ryan02 is the Most Valuable Player for the 2016 season! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/6RRO43MIvl
— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2017
MVP votes
Ryan: 25
Brady: 10
Zeke: 6
Carr: 6
Rodgers: 2
Dak: 1— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) February 5, 2017
Ryan was definitely deserving of the award, throwing for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns in the regular season, all while leading the Falcons to the 2-seed in the NFC. Ryan didn't slow down in the Playoffs, either, and his play is absolutely a major reason to why Atlanta is making their second ever appearance in the Super Bowl.
Some will say he's been there for a few years, but with the MVP award in hand, Ryan has cemented himself among the league's elite quarterbacks.