Ricky Dimon
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Is it down to a two-man race for 2018 NFL MVP? The odds say yes, but—even this late in the season—odds can fluctuate wildly in any single week; especially when it comes to individual accolades. Just ask Tua Tagovailo and Kyler Murray! Who has the best NFL MVP betting odds at the moment?
So even though Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees are the heavy favorites, the likes of Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck, and Todd Gurley cannot be counted out.
Patrick Mahomes (-135)
If Mahomes “loses” this, it will only be because Brees “wins” it. There is nothing not to like about the 23-year-old’s resume. He leads the NFL in passing yards (4,543), has 45 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, and Kansas City controls its own destiny for the AFC’s top seed at 11-3. Mahomes will probably helped in voting by the fact that the Chiefs were not exactly anything special in the years leading up to his arrival. It’s obvious he’s a difference-maker; it’s obvious he’s the difference-maker. He’s the new guy on the block and he is the perfect NFL MVP Betting choice.
Drew Brees (-110)
Brees is quite simply the best player on the best team in the league (New Orleans is sporting a 12-2 record and it is a +250 favorite to win the Super Bowl). If not for Mahomes, that would almost certainly be enough to give the 39-year-old a first career NFL MVP award. And no, that is not a misprint; Drew Brees has never been named NFL MVP. He has thrown for 3,666 yards with 31 touchdowns compared to only five interceptions.
Philip Rivers (+1200)
Rivers’ career—and especially his durability—has been outstanding. The only things missing are a Super Bowl appearance and an MVP award. Both are still in the running to come his way this season. The Chargers’ dramatic Week 15 victory at Kansas City tied them for the best record in the AFC at 11-3, improving to a dominant 10-1 in their last 11 games. Rivers now has 31 touchdown passes to just eight interceptions in addition to 3,951 passing yards.
Andrew Luck (+3300)
After missing all of the 2017 campaign and stumbling to a 1-5 record through the first six weeks of this season, Luck and the Colts as a whole were afterthoughts to do anything of note in 2018. Fast forward to Christmas time and Luck is in the MVP discussion (albeit distant) and his team is in playoff contention. Indianapolis (8-6) is 7-1 in its last eight and the Stanford product has thrown at least three touchdown passes on five occasions during this hot stretch. He has 34 TDs but also 13 INTs.
Todd Gurley (+4000)
It’s not easy to win NFL MVP; it’s almost impossible to win NFL MVP as a running back. The last one to do it was Adrian Peterson in 2012, and the last one before Peterson was LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. For a while it looked like Gurley would have the goods to keep that six-year trend going, but a late-season slump has all but ended his chances. The former University of Georgia standout remains a touchdown machine, leading the league in that category by five (21 to Alvin Kamara’s 16)—but he has been held to 63 rushing yards or less in five of the last eight games.
Prediction
Brees. Whereas the Saints are cruising, the Chiefs have been unspectacular in recent weeks and could lose the AFC West to Los Angeles if they fall at Seattle in Week 16. Voters realizing that Brees has never won this thing would only help the veteran’s chances.
