We don't take holidays off here at the MVP Projection -- except Flag Day, we do take Flag Day off -- but we don't take the other holidays off, so you're getting a projection on Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving Day football in the NFL should be fun with three strong games on tap. But here at the projection, we don't care about those games. We only care about one game in Week 13 and that's the one that involves our No. 1 and No. 2 MVP candidates: Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. 

Since 2009, the top two candidates have met twice in the regular season. Coincidentally, one of those games involved Brady and one of those games involved Rodgers.

2013

MVP: Peyton Manning

MVP runner-up: Tom Brady

Regular-season winner: Brady (Patriots 34-31 over Broncos)

2011

MVP: Aaron Rodgers

MVP runner-up: Drew Brees

Regular-season winner: Rodgers (Packers 42-34 over Saints)

2009

MVP: Peyton Manning

MVP runner-up: Drew Brees

Regular-season winner: The two players didn't meet in the regular season, but Brees did get the last laugh: The Saints beat Manning and the Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. 

So what does this tell us? It tells us that your turkey better be digested by Sunday because Rodgers and Brady will likely be putting on a show. 

Let's get to the projection. 

MVP Projection

1. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers: Instead of me talking about how good Rodgers is this week, let's get a fresh voice in here and let Bill Belichick do that. 

Here was Belichick's description of Rodgers when he was asked about the Packers quarterback on Wednesday. 

"He's great. He's quick, he's big, he throws the ball very accurately, has great vision down the field. He finds guys that there's not a lot of space, but he finds them and he hits them. He's really good. I'm not taking anything away from anybody else, but this guy is a really good player."

Just in case that wasn't complimentary enough, Belichick added, "He's got no weak points."

Belichick is actually wrong about that, Rodgers does have at least one weak point: grape Crush. Weeks on projection list for Rodgers: 7/12.

Tom Brady is always hungry for a win. (USATSI)
Tom Brady is always hungry for a win. (USATSI)

2. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady: The reason it's so hard to decide who should be on top of the MVP Projection out of Brady and Rodgers is because since Week 5, Brady and Rodgers have basically been the same person. Rodgers has 21 touchdown passes and two interceptions, while Brady has 22 touchdown passes and four interceptions.

It's like they're the same person, but don't worry, they're not, just ask Bill Belichick.

Speaking of Belichick, Brady wore a sleeveless hoodie to his press conference on Wednesday. In my book, which is the only book we read here at the MVP Projection, that alone makes Brady worth MVP consideration. Weeks on projection list for Brady: 4/12.

3. Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray: DeMarco Murray is No. 3 on the MVP Projection and No. 5 in our heart. Well, he's not technically No. 5 in our heart, but he is No. 5 in overall Pro Bowl voting and some fans vote with their heart. Murray has more votes (447,561) than any other non-quarterback in the league. 

Murray and his offensive line might be able to rent their own jet to get to the Pro Bowl in Arizona because it's looking like a few of those guys are going to make it too. Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin all lead the voting at their positions as of numbers released on Nov. 26.

Anyway, a lot of Pro Bowl votes isn't going to help you win an MVP award, but a lot of rushing yards will. Murray had 121 yards in the Cowboys' 31-28 win over the Giants and is now on pace for 1,969 yards on the season, which would be the eighth-highest single-season total in NFL history. Weeks on projection list for Murray: 9/12.

4. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning: Since the beginning of the 2013 season, there have only been nine games in the NFL where a quarterback has thrown four or more touchdown passes, completed 80 percent of their passes and thrown zero interceptions. Peyton Manning has four of those games and that includes Denver's win 39-36 win over Miami, where Manning threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns.

That's not even the most impressive part of what Manning did against the Dolphins, this is. 

If the all-time record for most fourth-quarter comebacks doesn't make you want to buy a Peyton Manning Christmas ornament, then I don't know what will. Weeks on projection list for Manning: 12/12. 

5. Texans defensive end J.J. Watt: If you watched the Texans play against the Bengals, you may have noticed that President George H.W. Bush had a more active day than Watt. However, there's a reason that Watt didn't do much. According to Scout.com's Texans blog, Watt was held at least seven different times where no flag was thrown -- and they have the video to prove it. 

Maybe that was the problem, but I think we should also consider the possibility that maybe horses are bad luck. Weeks on projection list for Watt: 11/11.

6. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski: If Gronk catches a touchdown pass against the Packers on Sunday, he'll do something that no other tight end in NFL history has ever done: Catch 10 or more touchdown passes in four separate seasons.

That's even more impressive when you consider that Gronk will do that in five seasons. And again, no tight end has done that in any amount of seasons ever. 

On a non-football related note, Colts safety Sergio Brown will probably be happy to hear that Gronk isn't tossing people from the club this week. Instead, Gronk used his muscles to help the needy. Weeks on projection list for Gronkowski: 2/12.