2 NFC West QBs Have Odds to Win NFL MVP; Wilson Isn’t One of Them
- 65 players have possessed odds to win the 2018 NFL MVP this season
- Only 17 players are currently receiving odds after Week 9
- Two of them are QBs from the NFC West; but Russell Wilson isn’t one of them
When 2018 NFL MVP odds opened back on April 10th, three quarterbacks from the NFC West were considered strong contenders: Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Jared Goff.
And along the way, even Sam Bradford and Josh Rosen found their names on the list of the 65 players who at some point were given odds by at least one online sports betting site.
With Garoppolo suffering a season-ending injury in Week 3, the Seahawks stumbling, and the Cardinals being awful, the Rams pivot is the only one of the five who is still receiving odds entering Week 10.
But he’s now being joined by the sixth QB from the NFC West to “join the race”, as Nick Mullens has been added to the odds sheet.
Odds to Win 2018 NFL MVP
(Flip over to the NFC West tab in the graph above.)
Sure, Mullens lit up the Raiders for 262 passing yards and 3 TDs, posting a 151.9 passer rating. And yeah, he attended the same college at Brett Favre (Southern Miss).
But I don’t think I have to go any further in explaining why even at +10000 there is absolutely no reason to bet the 49ers signal-caller.
2018 NFL MVP Odds
| Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | KC | -150 |
| Drew Brees | NO | +300 |
| Todd Gurley | LAR | +400 |
| Aaron Rodgers | GB | +1600 |
| Tom Brady | NE | +1600 |
| Nick Mullens | SF | +10000 |
Nick Mullens Hype is Reaching All-Time Levels
I’m not here to rain on any Nick Mullens parades. What the undrafted 23-year-old did in his first NFL start was special.
Notable #49ers debuts as starter:
Joe Montana
• 36 pass yards, 0 pass TDSteve Young
• 80 pass yards, 1 pass TDNick Mullens
• 262 pass yards, 3 pass TDWe aren’t saying it’s a thing but…
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 2, 2018
And a lot of people are rightfully having a lot of fun with it.
FACT: Nick Mullens never lost to a backup QB in the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/ghrmMZYEP3
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) November 2, 2018
Because who doesn’t love a good underdog story? Who doesn’t want to root for the little guy? The one who was never supposed to be here.
“THIS ISN’T THE PRESEASON!”
Nick Mullens already a legend ??
(via @49ers) pic.twitter.com/iv1Pe0E4jt
— Simms & Lefkoe (@SimmsAndLefkoe) November 2, 2018
But even if the NFL were to fall so in love with Nick Mullens that they let him play the disgraceful Oakland Raiders each week, there’s just not enough time for the Mullens train to pick up enough speed to catch any of the legitimate contenders.
This kid isn’t playing for the 2018 NFL MVP right now. He’s playing to convince an NFL team to give him a contract in 2019.
And to be clear, I am rooting for him.
Legitimate MVP Contenders
Realistically, there are only two players you should be considering at this point: Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees.
And just so long as you don’t believe Mahomes will fall victim to a Chiefs/Andy Reid second-half collapse in 2018, you should still be betting him even at -150.
If you want to bet on that slide, though, Drew Brees still offers value at +300.
After working in TV, Matt turned his focus towards numbers, specifically odds. He has been with us since 2016 and serves as SBD's Editor-in-Chief, credited with creating our futures trackers, SBD's score predictor, SBD Sharp, and his own model for calculating NFL SOS, among other products.
