The Bills runningback’s fast start this season is in sharp contrast to how his first season began in Buffalo.
The Buffalo Bills Insider Chris Brown provides all the details. Here is his report:
There is still a ton of football to be played in the 2016 regular season, but as midseason fast approaches, LeSean McCoy is putting himself in the middle of the league MVP conversation.
Coming off a disappointing 2015 season where a hamstring injury compromised his effectiveness and production, McCoy has been downright dominant. Following the most rigorous offseason training regimen of his career, McCoy is at or near the top of the league in almost every rushing category.
Buffalo is leading the league in rushing and in yards per carry average and their feature back is the main reason why.
“Shady is a huge part of what we’re doing here,” said Richie Incognito of McCoy.
Here’s a look at why McCoy should merit league MVP consideration.
Big runs
McCoy leads the league in rushes of 10 yards or more this season with 18. He also ranks first in the percentage of carries that go for 10 yards or more. A little more than 17 percent of the time McCoy is rushing for first down yardage.
Scoring
The Bills main ball carrier is tied for second in the league in total touchdowns with San Diego’s Melvin Gordon with seven scores on the season. In fact McCoy is tied with Bills kicker Dan Carpenter for the team’s scoring lead with 42 points this season.
Super average
McCoy’s yards per carry average is tops in the league among backs who have at least 70 carries this season. The dynamic runner is averaging 5.64 yards per carry. It helps explain why he’s second in the NFL with 26 first downs on the season.
Rushing yardage
He’s not first in this category, but he’s not far off of league leader Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys back has 703 rushing yards on 137 carries. McCoy is second with 587 yards on 33 fewer carries (104).
Multi-purpose
McCoy is tied for the fifth-most receptions among running backs so far this season with 21 receptions this season. The only backs ahead of him on that list however, are primarily pass catching backs with the exception of Tennessee’s DeMarco Murray.
So who represents McCoy’s stiffest competition right now in the NFL MVP race?
Atlanta QB Matt Ryan has been lighting it up through the first half of the season leading the league in passing yards (2,075), yards per attempt (9.88) and passer rating (117.9). He’s second in touchdown passes and has a 5:1 touchdown to interception ratio.
Dallas rookie RB Ezekiel Elliott is another solid candidate. He leads the league in rushing and first downs for a 5-1 Cowboys team.
Atlanta’s top receiver Julio Jones could also be in the running. He leads the NFL in receiving yards (656), yards per game (109.3), yards after the catch (216) and is tied for the league lead in plays of 25 yards or more (7).