Tom Brady’s coronation as this season’s NFL MVP has been put on hold after the legendary quarterback turned in his worst outing of the season in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 9-0 loss to the archrivals New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football. While Brady faltered, Aaron Rodgers continued to shine while leading Green Bay to a narrow 31-30 win over Baltimore. In addition to assuring the Packers of a first-place finish in the NFC East, the win also vaulted Rodgers back to the top of NFL MVP odds as a 2.25 favourite.
CanadianBettingSites takes a look at all the odds and trends as the fight for the right to claim this season’s NFL MVP award heats up. Sports bettors looking to get in on NFL action for the first time can check out our guide to NFL betting sites in Canada to learn all they need to know to get the best out of their football betting experience.
NFL MVP Odds | |
---|---|
Aaron Rodgers | 2.50 |
Tom Brady | 2.50 |
Jonathan Taylor | 9.00 |
Patrick Mahomes | 11.00 |
Matthew Stafford | 13.00 |
Josh Allen | 26.00 |
Justin Herbert | 26.00 |
Cooper Kupp | 41.00 |
Dak Precott | 41.00 |
Kyler Murray | 41.00 |
Joe Burrow | 151.00 |
Lamar Jackson | 151.00 |
Kirk Cousins | 251.00 |
Ryan Tannehill | 251.00 |
Brady vs Rodgers
Brady had been enjoying a career year at the ripe old age of 44 before the Buccaneers’ Week 15 debacle. The two-time NFL MVP continues to lead all NFL pivots in passing yards, attempts, completions, and touchdowns, while leading Tampa Bay to the verge of its first NFC South divisional title in 14 years. And with the Bucs riding a four-game winning streak ahead of their date with the previously slumping Saints, Brady saw his NFL MVP odds rocket to as short as 1.62 entering the weekend.
FINAL | Saints 9, Bucs 0
New Orleans proves again to be Tom Brady’s Kryptonitehttps://t.co/lXm2gU4HTm
— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) December 20, 2021
For the fourth time in as many regular-season meetings since his arrival in Tampa Bay, Brady was effectively shut down by the Saints, who maintained slim hopes of overtaking the Buccaneers in the NFC South standings with Sunday’s win. The impact of Sunday’s loss on the NFL MVP odds was immediate and dramatic, with Brady now trailing Rodgers as a 2.75-second favourite.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are carving up the Ravens! pic.twitter.com/8FFVwssxy2
— USA TODAY NFL (@usatodaynfl) December 19, 2021
As for Rodgers, he has left nothing to chance in his pursuit of a second straight NFL MVP award. The 38-year-old has continued to shine despite being hampered by a broken toe, tossing for 13 total scores over his past four outings, while avoiding being intercepted. With Rodgers in vintage form, the Packers have climbed to a short 7.50 bet on the Super Bowl 56 odds. However, the schedule makers certainly favour Brady down the stretch. Tampa Bay’s final three regular-season contests come against the bottom-feeding Carolina Panthers and New York Jets, while the Packers face a tougher road, with scheduled clashes against Cleveland, Minnesota, and Detroit.
Don’t Sleep on Jonathan Taylor
While the NFL MVP spotlight has been squarely fixed on Brady and Rodgers, sports bettors overlook Jonathan Taylor at their own peril. The Indianapolis Colts rusher is enjoying a breakthrough campaign in his second NFL season while leading all rushers in carries, rushing yards, and scoring runs.
2021 Jonathan Taylor vs. 2020 Derrick Henry vs. 2012 Adrian Peterson through first 14 games:
Taylor = 1,854 yards + 19 TDs
Henry = 1,679 yards + 15 TDs
Peterson = 1,812 yards + 11 TDsMVP. #Colts pic.twitter.com/I1H78EUXU0
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) December 20, 2021
The 22-year-old has played a huge role in the Colts’ emergence as a legitimate contender in the AFC South while tallying at least one score in 11 straight outings and has topped 100 rushing yards in eight of those contests. Pegged as an MVP longshot with odds as distant as 351.00 in early November, Taylor now trails only Brady and Rodgers as a short 9.00 wager and is worthy of a value bet to become the first non-quarterback to win the award since 2012.
Stafford, Mahomes Emerge as Dark Horses
Further down the NFL MVP odds, Matthew Stafford and Patrick Mahomes enter the final three weeks of the season as betting dark horses. Stafford has enjoyed his opportunity to lead a contender since being dealt to the Los Angeles Rams during the offseason. The 33-year-old passer has cemented his position as an attractive 11.00 bet while leading LA to a share of the NFC West divisional lead.
Updated look at Matthew Stafford’s QB rankings through 14 games…
TD% (1)
EPA/dropback (2)
AY/A (2)
Rating (2)
QBR (3)
DYAR (3)
DVOA (4)
Sack% (5)
PFF (8)
INT% (12) pic.twitter.com/dIHU8as40K— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) December 22, 2021
Mahomes claimed MVP honours back in 2018 and maintained a lengthy perch among the favourites until the Kansas City Chiefs sputtered to a 3-4 SU start this season. Of course, Mahomes has played a central role in the seven-game win streak that has lifted the Chiefs back to the top of the AFC West. However, with Kansas City placing a huge emphasis on defence, and only three games remaining on the schedule, it is unlikely that Mahomes will have enough time to return to MVP contention.
Best Bet: Jonathan Taylor (9.00) at Betway
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