By: James Tillman
We are now two weeks through the current NFL season and the race for league MVP is in full swing. In 2018, Patrick Mahomes came away with the prestigious hardware. Last season, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won the award after guiding his team to the best record in the league.
That said, it was only fitting that those two were ranked one and two in the MVP race. Did that trend continue or did a few other names make their way onto the list? Here’s a look at the players with the best odds to win the MVP award based on their performances from Week 2.
Third-Best NFL MVP Odds: Patrick Mahomes (+500), Last Week’s Odds (+300)
Patrick Mahomes is coming off a 2019 campaign in which he and the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl. And following a three-touchdown, 211-yard outing in a 34-20 win against the Houston Texans, Mahomes had the best MVP odds. Against the Los Angeles Chargers, though, the Chiefs narrowly escaped with a 23-20 win.
In that contest, Mahomes failed to complete less than half of his pass attempts in the first half before finishing 27-for-47 for 302 yards and a pair of touchdowns. While Mahomes may have dropped to the bottom of the list, chances are he won’t stay there for long.
Second-Best NFL MVP Odds: Lamar Jackson (+500), Last Week’s Odds (No Change)
For the second straight week, Lamar Jackson comes in at the No. 2 spot on our list. Although he didn’t put up the same numbers as he did in the season opener (completed 20 of 25 passes, 275 yards, and three scores), Jackson still had a decent outing. He threw for 204 yards, including one touchdown pass to go along with 54 yards on the ground.
Thanks to having one of the best backfields in the league, the Ravens went on to beat the Texans 33-16, extending their regular-season winning streak to 14 games – the longest in the NFL since Carolina won 18 consecutive games in 2014-15.
Best NFL MVP Odds: Russell Wilson (+300), Last Week’s Odds (+600)
Welcome to the top of the list, Mr. Wilson. A week ago, Wilson was No. 3 on the MVP odds list but has catapulted to the top spot. In Week 2, Wilson and the Seahawks squared off against Cam Newton and the New England Patriots. Just like the Super Bowl game between these two teams a few years ago, the outcome wasn’t decided until the last play.
The Patriots had the ball on the one-yard line and Cam Newton attempted to run the ball but was stopped short of the endzone, allowing the Seahawks to escape with a 35-30 victory. Russell continued his hot start to the season, completing 21 of 28 passes for 288 yards and five touchdowns. It was the fourth time in his career in which he has thrown five TD passes in a game. Last week, I stated that the MVP was a two-man race, but Wilson is quickly showing why he deserves to be in the conversation as well.
