Airing it out

Several players are MVP-worthy, but only one has it to lose

The national pastime, it is argued, is a game of numbers: .406; 1.12; 755; 1918; the Mendoza Line. Statistics are one of the pillars of baseball, along with being strong up the middle and the Red Sox folding in October.

Football, I counter, is also a game of numbers: There are 20 quarters of regular-season football remaining for 20 teams. For the other 12 teams the final five games will separate the MVP contenders from the pretenders.

Matt Stroshane/Getty Images Inside the Numbers Rush Yds TDs Rec. Yds TDs 1,326 10 328 4

RB Ahman Green, Packers -- Enough with the debate over whether Green Bay has evolved from a passing team to a running team. Fact is, the Packers are both -- and is one of only two teams that have two bona fide MVP candidates to show for it.

In three-plus seasons with the Packers, Green is now second on the franchise's all-time rushing list with 5,128 yards and only the third Green Bay back to top 5,000 yards.

Green, who has scored in nine of 11 games this season, is second in the league with 1,326 yards rushing, 10 TDs rushing and 14 TDs total. He's also the go-to back with a league-high 74 runs for first downs.

• Bottom line: Green also leads the NFL with seven fumbles, including one in OT that led to the Chiefs' 40-34 come-from-behind win on Oct. 19. Voters may not give the award to Green for fear of him dropping it.

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images Inside the Numbers Rec. Yards Avg. TDs 84 1,285 15.3 10

WR Torry Holt, Rams -- While Marshall Faulk and Marc Bulger make the headlines, Holt is the Slick 50 that makes the Greatest Show on Turf purr like a Ferrari at 8,000 rpms.

Through Week 12, Holt is averaging 116.9 yards receiving per game -- 1.4 yards more than Jerry Rice's single-season record set in 1995.

Holt leads the NFL with 84 catches, 1,285 yards receiving, is fourth among WRs (at least 45 receptions) with a 15.3 yards-per-catch average and is tied for the league lead with 10 TD catches.

• Bottom line: No matter how flashy Holt's numbers are, the fact is he will not win the MVP award. In a season chock full of quarterbacks and running backs posting equally flashy statistics, Holt will be relegated to No. 3 or lower on many ballots.

Rick Stewart/Getty Images Inside the Numbers Comp.-Att. Yards TDs Rating 265-393 3,105 19 98.8

QB Peyton Manning, Colts -- With a league-high 3,105 yards passing, Manning is good for 282 yards a game. If his per-game average increases a few ticks over the final five games, Manning will have an all-time top-10 season for passing yards.

He also leads the NFL with 265 completions, a 67.4 completion percentage and 152 passes for first downs, while ranking second in TD passes (19) and passer rating (98.8).

A large part of Manning's success is due to the Colts' O-line, which has allowed a league-low 10 sacks among passers with at least 250 attempts.

• Bottom line: If the Colts run the table -- a big if considering the Dec. 7 tilt at Tennessee -- Manning will be the front-runner for MVP based on his two head-to-head victories against Steve McNair.

Scott Miller/Getty Images Inside the Numbers Comp.-Att. Yards TDs Rating 190-291 2,440 18 106.3

QB Steve McNair, Titans -- Sports Illustrated may have been a bit quick to hand him the Heisman in 1994, but it's not unrealistic to believe McNair could be the NFL MVP in 2003.

In 11 games, "Air" is ninth in passing yards (2,440), second in completion percentage (65.3), first in yards per attempt (8.4), third in TD passes (18) and first in passer rating (106.3).

McNair is on pace for a career high 25 touchdown passes, but more notable is that he's only thrown four interceptions in 291 attempts -- averaging a pick every 73 passes.

• Bottom line: McNair's calf injury is a concern, but he may play Monday night. If he finishes the season without a substantial drop in production, McNair will get his due and the mantle of best player never to win the MVP will go to Randy Moss.

Outside looking in ...

QB Trent Green, Chiefs -- The yin to Holmes' yang, Green is doing everything Dick Vermeil hoped -- in 1999. He's top-five in passing yards, TDs and rating ...

RB Priest Holmes, Chiefs -- With an NFL-best 15 TDs, he's a scoring machine, which should count for something, but Holmes is seventh in rushing yards ...

RB Jamal Lewis, Ravens -- The buzz is off his 295-yard game, but he is the NFL's leading rusher. If he only scored more than once every 38 carries ...

WR Randy Moss, Vikings -- He's having a stellar season with a league-best 10 TD catches, but Minnesota's free fall from grace the past five weeks ...

QB Brett Favre, Packers -- The league's 25th-ranked passing attack has the NFL's best in TD passes (20), and Favre's on pace for his 12th consecutive 3,000-yard passing season ...

K Mike Vanderjagt, Colts -- An oddball choice, for sure, but the "liquored-up kicker" is having one helluva season: 26 of 26 on FGs, 31 of 31 on PATs for 109 points.

B. Duane Cross is a senior producer for SI.com.