Greeting and salutations football fans. We’re now 14 weeks into the NFL season, which means that we are officially in the home stretch. Last week, the players in the running for the MVP award included Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Patrick Mahomes II.
Each of these players led their respective teams to victory last week, which means that there won’t be too much of a shakeup from a betting standpoint. But before we get to our top-three list, here are a couple of players that warrant consideration as well.
Russell Wilson (+6600 odds) was the frontrunner for a good portion of the season before he was supplanted by Patrick Mahomes. Although Chef Wilson threw four touchdown passes in a 40-3 win over the New York Giants, he has surpassed the 250-yard passing threshold just one in the past five games.
Meanwhile, another player that we’re not hearing a lot about in the MVP race is Tennessee Titans’ running back Derrick Henry (+5000 odds). On the season, Henry has accumulated a league-leading 1,532 rushing yards on 297 carries, good enough for first in both categories. Additionally, Henry needs just nine more yards to surpass his 1,540-yard output from last season. It is also worth noting that he is tied for first in rushing touchdowns with 14. Neither of these players will make up enough ground in the race, but they are putting up noteworthy numbers, to say the least.
Now that we’ve given a well-deserved honorable mention to the players that fall outside of our top-three list, here’s a look at where potential MVP candidates rank following their performances in Week 14 (according to Unibet).
Third-Best NFL MVP Odds: Josh Allen (+1600). Last Week (+1400)
To be honest, Josh Allen has not been a household name in the MVP race this season. And while his odds have dipped a bit, he comes in at the No. 3 spot for the second straight week. In the Bills’ recent outing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Allen completed 24 of 43 passes for 238 yards to go along with two touchdowns and one interception. No, he didn’t have a great game, but it was enough for the Bills to hand Pittsburgh a second straight loss and improve to 10-3. While Allen’s production has been modest in two of his last three outings, he is still ranked sixth in passing yards (3,641) and tied for sixth in touchdown passes with 28. Future MVP in the making? Only time will tell.
Second-Best NFL MVP Odds: Aaron Rodgers (+175). Last Week (+400)
Mr. Rodgers continues to come in at the second spot on our weekly list, and with good reason too. In the Packers’ 31-24 win over the Detroit Lions, Rodgers was 26 for 33 for 290 yards. He also had three touchdowns, marking the fourth straight outing in which he’s had at least three touchdown passes.
During that four-game stretch, Rodgers has compiled totals of 13 touchdowns compared to just one interception. And on the season, Rodgers is ranked third in passing yards (3,685); first in touchdown passes (39), and tied for fourth with three interceptions. Needless to say, Rodgers is a big reason why the Packers are averaging a league-best 31.5 points per contest. If not for Mahomes having another solid season, Rodgers would be leading this race hands down.
Best NFL MVP Odds: Patrick Mahomes II (-200). Last week (-500)
Although Mahomes continues to be the odds-on favorite in the MVP race, he had an interesting outing against the Miami Dolphins last week. After falling behind 10-0, Mahomes and the Chiefs went on to win the game 33-27. Not only that, but the Chiefs also won the division and clinched a playoff berth as well. In that contest, Mahomes was 24 for 34 for 393 yards, which was the sixth straight outing in which he’s topped the 300-yard plateau.
On the flip side of the coin, the Dolphins’ defense had three sacks and three interceptions. This was the first game of the season in which Mahomes had more picks than touchdown passes. But despite a somewhat subpar outing by his standards, Mahomes still leads the NFL in total passing yards with 4,208, and he is ranked third in touchdowns passes with 33. Barring a major collapse in the final three games of the season, Mahomes is on track to take home the MVP award for the second time in three seasons.
