There is no doubt Giants RB Saquon Barkley has elite abilities, but can his production be enough to capture the coveted MVP award next season?

When asked, former head coach and current broadcaster Steve Mariucci said he thinks Barkley will win it in 2020.

"Six running backs have made MVP in the last 25 years, but they did something special like rush for 2,000 yards or break the rushing record like LT did with 28 rushing touchdowns," Mariucci said on NFL Total Access. "But Saquon is versatile. He had 91 receptions and a bunch of yards rushing as a rookie. He's going to go over 2,000 yards again. He's got a chance. If that team can get better and have a winning season, Saquon Barkley."

Quarterbacks are the heavy favorite to win MVP, with nine of the last 10 going to that position. It's hard, but not impossible for running backs to win the award. In 2012, Adrian Peterson won it after rushing for an incredible 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns -- just missing the single-season rushing record by Eric Dickerson. He was the first since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006 after he posted 28 rushing touchdowns, a new NFL record that still stands today.

But think about this: Christian McCaffrey was setting career highs last season, and didn't get a single vote for MVP because Lamar Jackson had that good of a campaign.

McCaffrey rushed for 1,387 yards with 15 touchdowns and had 1,005 yards through the air with four more touchdowns as well. That's well over 2,000 yards from scrimmage with 19 total scores for a running back. Yet, it still wasn't enough to set him apart from the rest.

So what does Barkley need to do to earn that trophy? He has to remain healthy through 16 games. He did that in his rookie season and was breaking Giants first-year records with his 1,307 yards rushing, over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 total touchdowns. Last season, he had to miss three games and wasn't totally 100 percent when he did return from his high ankle sprain. He still managed to rush for over 1,000 yards with eight touchdowns.

Video: Saquon Barkley is excited for Garrett's new system

If Barkley remains healthy, Jason Garrett's offense should provide him with ample opportunity to break out in his third season. Garrett worked with Ezekiel Elliott during the past four seasons in Dallas with the Cowboys, and has given him over 300 carries in three of them. Because of that, Elliott has been a league leader in rushing yards in 2016 (1,631) and 2018 (1,434).

Now we're not talking a Dickerson- or Peterson-type season with over 2,000 yards rushing to make Barkley MVP. With his pass-catching ability, that shouldn't be expected as he will get thrown to by Daniel Jones a considerable amount. But if Barkley can post a season slightly better than McCaffrey's with more touchdowns, that would certainly put him in that MVP conversation. To win it, something similar to Tomlinson's 28 touchdowns will be needed to wow voters instead of just yardage.

But the final piece of the puzzle is this: the Giants need to win games. MVP awards go to those who are a big part in winning games. There's a reason McCaffrey wasn't really considered last season, as the Carolina Panthers went 5-11 with an injured Cam Newton at the start of the season hurting their playoff hopes.

If the Giants post another season under .500, voters would most likely steer away from Barkley despite his numbers.

It's a tough task to complete, which is why Barkley's odds are set at +5500 to win MVP, per PointsBet. For reference, Mahomes and Jackson have odds set at +400 and +600, respectively (Odds above are based on a $100 bet. If you bet $100, you would win $5500 for Barkley's odds).

But if he can put all those criteria together, and the Giants return to winning ways, he could be holding the hardware at the NFL Honors after the season.

Popular in the Community