Greetings football fans and welcome back to our weekly discussion about the NFL players in the running for the league MVP award. A week ago, our top three candidates included Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson.
For the second straight week, two of the three players on the list led their respective teams to victory while one failed to do so. With that being said, here’s a look at where the players rank based on how they performed in Week 8.
Third-Best NFL MVP Odds: Aaron Rodgers (+1000). Last Week (+400)
Mr. Rodgers dropped from the No. 2 spot down to No. 3 on our weekly list. In a Week 8 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Rodgers completed 27 of his 41 passing attempts for 291 yards to go along with three touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Packers’ defense was unable to contain Dalvin Cook, who had 223 total yards from scrimmage, including 163 rushing yards on 30 carries.
As a result, the Packers were handed their second loss in the past three weeks. Given the fact that Rodgers continues to put up solid numbers (20 touchdown passes against two interceptions on the season), his name should continue to be in the conversation for league MVP.
Second-Best NFL MVP Odds: Patrick Mahomes (+350). Last Week (+450)
There had been much discussion about how Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs weren’t faring so well as far as big passing plays were concerned. Well, that trend changed against the New York Jets. After being held to under 250 yards in three of his previous four outings, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ aerial game took off, and in a big way.
Mahomes finished the contest 31 of 42 for a whopping 416 yards – his highest yardage total of the season. Additionally, Mahomes also had five, yes, five touchdown passes as well. On the season, Mahomes has thrown 21 touchdowns and only one interception. Given the Chiefs’ balanced attack, it will be interesting to see if Mahomes can make up any ground in this race.
The NFL MVP Odds Favorite: Russell Wilson (-182). Last Week (+100)
In what has become the norm, Chef Wilson continues to lead the pack as the odds-on favorite to win the MVP award. Coming off a disappointing loss against the Arizona Cardinals, Wilson and the Seahawks were hoping to rebound against the San Francisco 49ers, and boy did they ever.
Unlike their first few victories that went down to the wire, Seattle turned a close game into a 27-7 advantage going into the fourth quarter. The 49ers managed to tack on a couple of scores in the final frame, but the Seahawks emerged victorious 37-27. Wilson finished the afternoon 27 of 37 for 261 yards and four touchdowns.
This marked the sixth time in seven games that Wilson had thrown at least three touchdown passes in a game this season. Additionally, this was also the sixth time that Seattle had scored at least 30 points. At 6-1, Seattle is cooking and and Russell Wilson has a lot to do with the team’s hot start.
