Is Peyton Manning the frontrunner to Win the MVP Award?

Now that the 2012 NFL season is halfway over, it's not too early to start thinking about who might win the MVP award.  Other than a run by Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005 and 2006, quarterbacks generally win the award.  The other L.T., Lawrence Taylor, was the last defensive player to win the MVP back in 1986.  No wide receiver has ever won the MVP.

The Contenders (quarterbacks)

1.  Tom Brady- Brady is leading the league in passing yards at the halfway point, but he really doesn't feel like the league's MVP.  Like Michael Jordan, he could win the award every year and no one would really complain.

2.  Eli Manning- Eli has done everything but win the MVP.  His completion percentage and TD/Int. ratio are hurting him at this point.

3.  Peyton Manning-  There is no way Tim Tebow would be 4-3 this season as Denver's starter.  Manning is really finding his stride in Denver, and he has the highest qb rating in the NFL.  He has thrown only one pick since his disastrous first half in Atlanta in week two.

4.  Aaron Rodgers- I would be pretty shocked if ARodg won back to back titles, especially if Chicago wins the NFC North.

5.  Matt Ryan-  Matty Ice has won a lot of games for the Falcons, but it's hard to point to any MVP type performances.

Running Backs

1.  Adrian Peterson- All day has an outside chance if he puts up huge numbers and the Vikings sneak into the playoffs.

2.  Arian Foster- If the voters want to reward the Houston Texans, Foster has a better chance to be the MVP than Matt Schaub.

Defense

1.  J.J. Watt- Only defensive player with any chance to win the MVP because of the sacks and swatted passes.

To me the choice is clear.  Manning is running away with this race.  It's not always about stats. (even though Manning's are exceptional)  Tim Tebow has so many flukey wins last season that it really masked how bad Denver needed a quarterback.  If not for some slow starts, Denver could be much better than 4-3 at the halfway point.