#5 Derek Carr
Derek Carr has had quite a difficult career with the Raiders. Fans continue to say he isn t the one. However, he’s one of the biggest reasons why the Raiders are in the hunt for a playoff berth. What happens when you take Carr away?
Without Carr, we would have Marcus Mariota, who had a great college career but hasn t been successful at the NFL level. Of course, he got the Tennessee Titans to the playoffs once or twice and even had some strong showings, but Tennessee got rid of him for a reason. Unfortunately for Mariota fans, that reason is that he isn t as good as they thought he was.
Now that we have switched QB s for this hypothetical situation, let s think about how Mariota would change the game. The first problem is that his competition percentage was below average before his exit from the Titans, and he was unusually injury-prone. This means that Mariota is going to need a lot of protection upfront from his o-line.
Factor in the lack of ability to get down the field, Josh Jacobs off games and the defense, and you have a completely different team that would struggle to go 2-6 at this point. Raiders fans need to realize that things are a lot better than they seem to be and start appreciating Carr for the talent he brings to the field.
#4 A’ja Wilson
While the Las Vegas Aces fell short of a championship in the WNBA finals’ finale, they still had an incredible season. Now, a lot of that season has to do with how a team missing their two top stars stepped up their game, but Wilson was the leading force. She was incredible in 2020.
Wilson s minutes might end up being downsized in 2021 due to the hopeful return of Kelsey Plum, but she will still play a crucial part in the team’s future. Between a top defender like Liz Cambage and the above-average shooting of Kelsey Plum, Wilson and the rest of the Aces could be on the verge of a championship.
#3 Robin Lehner
Robin Lehner was drafted to the Las Vegas Aces during the 2020 NHL season, and he made quite a difference for the organization. While the Golden Knights came up short of a championship this year, Lehner really added some depth to the goalie position and helped the team win key games. He is also a reason why they went deep in the playoffs, which might not have happened with Marc Andre Fleury.
Think about it! Fleury gave up around 20 goals in the last ten games of the season, which forced the offense to work harder to win games. If nothing else, Lehner pretty much saved the season for the organization and put them on a path that could have gone all the way to a championship. They had to settle for a semifinal elimination, though, which means no title until next year.
#2 Kurt and Kyle Busch
It would be next to impossible to put one Busch brother on this list without the other. Of course, a lot of that has to do with them winning the same number of races this season and making it into the playoffs, but also due to how humbling this season was for them.
Keep in mind that Kyle Busch is a two-time Cup Series champion with over 40 wins to his name and you can see what kind of performance he expects out of himself. As for Kurt Busch, he has been struggling at Chip Ganassi Racing over the past couple of years but managed to make the postseason thanks to a victory early in the year
With that being said, both Busch brothers are now declining in performance, which is probably forcing them to ask a lot of hard questions to themselves. What kind of conclusions they ultimately reach is up to them and will be interesting to find out, but they deserve this MVP spot for being two drivers that will always go down fighting!
#1 Josh Jacobs
Why does Joshua Jacobs deserve to be on this list? Let s start with the fact that he is currently the third-best rusher in the NFL right now and has contributed six touchdowns to the team. Whie this might not seem like a lot, he is the best-ranked player on the Las Vegas Raiders and is one of the most underappreciated guys on the squad.
He might not be contributing the numbers that fans want him to, but his 3.6 yards per gain is still a big help down the field. Jacobs is also starting to be put in a flex position as a wide receiver, which seems to be working well.
