Antonio Brown has been doing the impossible all season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has lifted them to wins in games they had no right to even compete in, and last night's battle with the Baltimore Ravens was a perfect example. The Steelers had not remotely figured out their defense without Ryan Shazier, and the team was too emotional to play a clear and coherent game. But Brown lifted them to a win with 213 receiving yards against the NFL's No. 12 passing defense. He has been doing that all season, and it's time he was rewarded for it. It's time the NFL named their first ever wide receiver as the league's MVP.

The case for Brown is obvious. He leads all NFL players in receptions by 11 (with 99). He leads all NFL players in receiving yards by 276 (with 1,509). He is tied for second in the NFL with nine touchdown catches, but first place DeAndre Hopkins is now likely down to his third string quarterback and has nothing to play for, so Brown has a chance to win the receiving triple crown.

He is the best player on an 11-2 team, and the typical argument of quarterbacks automatically getting MVP consideration over receivers doesn't really apply to Brown with Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger has not looked like himself this season until the last month. He threw five interceptions against the Jaguars earlier in the season, and it wasn't until the Titans game that he finally began playing like a star again. Even when the rest of the offense struggled, though, Brown starred. He gained 157 yards in that Jaguars game. He had 110 in their other loss to the Chicago Bears. Brown is the one constant for the Steelers on offense. He starred when Le'Veon Bell was working himself back into shape after a holdout, with Marcus Gilbert suspended, with Roethlisberger struggling, with Martavis Bryant asking for a trade and with JuJu Smith-Schuster suspended.

Those facts alone make Brown's case extremely compelling, but it helps that there isn't another ideal candidate in the field.

The previous leader for the award was Carson Wentz. He had the Philadelphia Eagles at 10-2 and ready to compete for the Super Bowl. But he tore his ACL against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and is therefore likely out of consideration for the MVP award with three games to play.

The next man up, and likely the frontrunner, is Tom Brady. Having 26 touchdowns and only four interceptions is no doubt extremely impressive, but in context, is Brady really more valuable than Brown? The Patriots have the NFL's No. 9 ranked rushing attack. The Steelers are No. 23. Yes, the Steelers were excellent on defense earlier in the season and the Patriots started out terribly, but that is about to flip. Without Shazier, the Steelers fell apart on that side of the field against the Ravens. But the Patriots have had arguably the NFL's best defense since their horrific four-game start. They have not allowed an opponent to score even 20 points in a game since. Even if Brady is as good as ever, his workload considering the recent performance of his teammates just isn't as massive.

Besides, it's relevant to note here that there was intense debate between Brady and Wentz as the favorite. There is not a shred of debate for any receiver to be ahead of Brown. There is absolutely no question that Brown is the best and most valuable player at his position. That guarantee doesn't exist on the same level for Brady, and it certainly helps Brown's case that Brady has won twice. That doesn't make him less deserving, but voters like new stories. A wide receiver winning MVP would be the newest story they could come up with.

After Brady, pickings are pretty slim. Russell Wilson has earned some mentions, but the Seahawks are fading fast after a loss to Jacksonville. If they lose to the Rams or Cowboys in the next two weeks, they will likely miss the playoffs entirely. Wilson won't win under those circumstances. The NFL's rushing leader is Bell, and he's 400 yards behind his Steelers teammate. Even he admitted to Tim Benz of Trib Live that Brown is not only the best player on the team, but the best player in the entire league.

To cap it all off, just think of everything the Steelers have been through this season. Think about all of the injuries, suspensions, holdouts and trade demands. Think about the national anthem controversy. Think about them losing their Defensive Player of the Year candidate to a potentially career-ending injury. If a team wins 13 or 14 games under those circumstances, and their best player challenges or even breaks records, doesn't that player deserve to be the MVP?

The answer is unequivocally yes. All Brown needs now is a statement win over the Patriots. If the Steelers manage to beat their rivals and Brown puts up big numbers, then watch out. He'll become the new MVP favorite.

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