Drew Brees Given 25-1 Odds to Win NFL MVP After Week 8 Return, Rodgers Still Favored
- Drew Brees returned to the Saints in Week 8 and dismantled the Cardinals
- The Saints pivot has emerged in the top 10 of the NFL MVP odds
- Read below to see if he’s worthy of a wager, or if there are better options through Week 8 of the season
Don’t look now, but a certain Saint has jumped back into the NFL MVP odds.
Five weeks down recuperating from an injured thumb on his throwing hand, and New Orleans pivot Drew Brees didn’t skip a beat.
2019 NFL MVP Odds
Player | Pos | Team | Odds |
---|---|---|---|
Aaron Rodgers | QB | GB | +225 |
Russell Wilson | QB | SEA | +275 |
Christian McCaffrey | RB | CAR | +800 |
Patrick Mahomes | QB | KC | +800 |
Lamar Jackson | QB | BAL | +900 |
Deshaun Watson | QB | HOU | +1000 |
Tom Brady | QB | NE | +1600 |
Kirk Cousins | QB | MIN | +1800 |
Drew Brees | QB | NO | +2500 |
Dak Prescott | QB | DAL | +3300 |
*Odds taken October 29
The last time Brees had odds was September 18, coming in at +7500. Prior to the injury, he’d seen his odds in the regular season as low as +1300, before reemerging heading into Week 9 at +2500. With the Saints in the thick of the race for top seed in the NFC, is Brees a legitimate player in the MVP picture?
Thumbs Up for Brees Against Cardinals
The last time we saw Brees, he and the Saints were under siege against the Rams in Los Angeles, as New Orleans lost their franchise player and were subsequently crushed 27-9, dropping them to 1-1.
Here is the video of #DrewBrees @Saints injury. Full analysis coming in minutes at https://t.co/QXbyZbJ8bM pic.twitter.com/vhG3todpaN
— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) September 15, 2019
Do you think sure-fire Hall of Famers – and in this case, the NFL’s all-time passing yards leader – suffer from bouts of insecurity? Look no further than Brees, who returned to the lineup, even though under the guidance of backup Teddy Bridgewater, the Saints had gone 5-0 sans Brees.
Drew Brees returns to the Saints today. Teddy Bridgewater held it DOWN in his absence.
◽️ 5-0 as starter
◽️ 9 TD | 2 INT
◽️ 69.7 completion %
◽️ 103.7 QB ratingLeague’s highest-paid backup for a reason. pic.twitter.com/sbM21Y7t7f
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 27, 2019
Situated at 6-1, and with just one game before their bye week, the safe play should have been to give Brees two more full weeks of recovery. Instead, rather than having to be the central talking-head topic of a potential QB controversy – as Bridgwater would likely have lead them to a 6-0 mark into the bye – he had plans of restoring order immediately.
3 TDs
373 passing yardsDrew Brees in his first game back! ⚜️#Saints pic.twitter.com/r1o6KnmAkT
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 29, 2019
And he was great against Arizona, going 34-for-43 (a 79% completion clip) for 373 yards and three TD’s – his highest passing yardage output since he went for 396 in Week 3 of the 2018 season.
"The Saints have done a great job w/ tremendous disappointments the last 2 postseasons — Minneapolis Miracle & lack of a PI call vs the Rams. Now, overcoming the adversity of Drew Brees' injury. This is a team that's ready to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl." — @criscarter80 pic.twitter.com/yci0acHUR2
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) October 22, 2019
Coming out of the bye and with Brees getting those reps under his belt, New Orleans gets the lowly Falcons and Buccaneers, before facing a potentially still Cam-less Panthers. They get the Falcons again before a super showdown with the 49ers, in a game that could decide the top seed in the NFC and home field throughout the playoffs.
Is Brees a Legitimate MVP Candidate?
It would take an unreal second half of the season for Brees to get into the statistical realm of some of the other MVP candidates, which seems unlikely. For a player that’s missed five games of a 16-game slate, to win MVP he’s going to have to the go the tried and true method of being the best player on the best team.
Que passe sensacional do Aaron Rodgers pro TD do Jamal Williams pra virar o jogo e botar pressão no time do KC Chiefs! #NFLnaESPN #NFL100 pic.twitter.com/0QIjW8i2ya
— ???? ?????? ?? (@PlayABrazil) October 28, 2019
That’s going to be quite a chore as well. Currently, the Packers share an identical 7-1 mark with the Packers, and Aaron Rodgers has rightly taken the reigns as the MVP favorite, coming off a 6-TD pass performance against the Raiders, and then following that up with a stellar win in Arrowhead. Right now, I’d consider him the best bet.
More angles of Russell Wilson's insane TD pass to Tyler Lockett pic.twitter.com/yTIX0mbndW
— Parker Lewis (@ParkerLewisJR) October 4, 2019
While the 7-0 49ers don’t have an MVP candidate (which is kinda scary), Russell Wilson is still in the mix as the driving force behind the Seahawks, and Patrick Mahomes will probably need to miss one or two more games, but his greatness should have him back in the running in no time.
Which is all to say that although a Brees wager appears to present value, there are too many other viable betting options you should target ahead of him.