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.
And what has become a consistent pattern over the past few weeks, two of the three players on the list led their respective teams to victory while one of those players did not have the same level of success. So, without further ado, here’s a look at where the players rank based on how they performed in Week 9.
Third-Best NFL MVP Odds: Aaron Rodgers (+350). Last Week (+1000)
Mr. Rodgers comes in at the No. 3 spot for the second straight week. Going into the Week 9 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Rodgers and the Packers had dropped two of their last three contests. Moreover, the 49ers dominated both times these teams played last season.
However, thanks to injuries to several key players, the 49ers were no match for the Packers in this one. Rodgers carved up San Francisco’s defense for 305 yards to go along with four touchdowns en route to a decisive 34-17 victory. This marked the third time that Rodgers has thrown for more than 300 yards this season.
Second-Best NFL MVP Odds: Patrick Mahomes (+200). Last Week (+350)
Two weeks ago, we were talking about how the Chiefs’ aerial attack had been held in check for the most part. This was because opposing teams made a concerted effort to limit their big passing plays. The offense exploded in a Week 8 win over the New York Jets. In that contest, Mahomes threw for 416 yards and five touchdowns. But that was against a winless Jets team.
Well, Mahomes was at it again when the Chiefs took on the Carolina Panthers. In a game that was a lot closer than it should have been, Mahomes completed 30 of his 45 passes for 372 yards and tacked on another four touchdowns, helping the Chiefs escape with a 33-31 victory. If Mahomes continues to produce at this level, look for him to be in the MVP conversation for the rest of the season.
NFL MVP Odds-On Favorite: Russell Wilson (+125). Last Week (-182)
Chef Wilson has been leading the MVP race for some time and that trend continues. Unfortunately, he didn’t have one of his finest outings against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9. Thanks to a Bills’ offense that produced three touchdowns on their first four possessions, the Bills jumped out to 17-0 lead and went on to win the game by a 44-34 margin.
While Wilson eclipsed the 300-yard total for the third time in five games, he was sacked five times, threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles, giving him a total of seven turnovers in his last three outings. But barring a major collapse, Wilson should remain the odds-on favorite in this race for the foreseeable future.
