Mahomes Opens As 2020 NFL MVP Favorite

For a second straight offseason, Patrick Mahomes enters as the favorite to win MVP. While he led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl this past year, he wasn’t in the MVP race in the regular season as he had just 26 passing touchdowns. That’s a sharp drop from the 50 he had in 2018. He also finished 10th in passing yards. However, we know what he’s capable of and he’s just 24 years old. Is he the best bet to win the 2020 NFL MVP award or is Lamar Jackson – or someone else – a better bet?

PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
2020 MVP ODDS: +600

The running of Lamar Jackson and the overall prowess of the Baltimore Ravens were the biggest story of the 2019 NFL regular season, but will Jackson set the pace in the NFL for a second straight season? It will be hard to do that as we saw Mahomes win the MVP two years ago and then decline a little bit last season.

Mahomes just won his first Super Bowl and will enter the 2020 season knowing this is his league to dominate in the next decade. And truth be told, he would have been in the conversation had a small injury not slowed him down midseason. With almost all of the key pieces of his explosive offense coming back, Mahomes will be in the running.

LAMAR JACKSON, BALTIMORE RAVENS
2020 MVP ODDS: +650

The thing to worry about with Jackson is that he might try to run too much and get himself hurt. Look at Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers: he played like a running back for several years, leading Carolina to the Super Bowl and other playoff appearances. For a short period of time, playing a fearless style of football at quarterback served Carolina well. However, that style hurt Newton and the Panthers in the long run.

Jackson is a different player but it’s something to be wary of with this prop. The Ravens have to see this and know they need Jackson to run less, so that he avoids significant injuries. Yet, in order to play like an MVP, Jackson needs to run a lot. It will be hard for him to defend his 2019 MVP victory.

RUSSELL WILSON, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
2020 MVP ODDS: +900

It is always possible that Russell Wilson will make a run at the MVP award. He carried the Seahawks this past season and he will likely carry the team again in 2020. However, if the Seahawks lose the NFC West to the San Francisco 49ers – as they did this past season – will Wilson get the bounce he needs to win the award? Seattle probably has to win the division in order for Wilson to have the best possible chance.

DESHAUN WATSON, HOUSTON TEXANS
2020 MVP ODDS: +1200

It is true that Watson makes dozens of spectacular plays every NFL season. He does so much despite a bad offensive line in Houston with the Texans. Yet, as long as Houston doesn’t get a first-round bye in the playoffs and doesn’t rise to the very top of the AFC standings, it will be hard for Watson to break through. Houston needs to win 12 or 13 games in a season. That is what helped Mahomes in 2018 and Jackson in 2019 when they won the NFL MVP Award. Houston probably won’t win 12 or more games, so Watson probably won’t win MVP.

CARSON WENTZ, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
2020 MVP ODDS: +1800

Wentz finished the season playing like an MVP-caliber player but he surely wasn’t one all year long. There have been many questions as to what has happened to his once MVP-like performance in 2017.

The Eagles need to rise to the top of the NFC – the No. 2 seed in the playoffs at the very least – for Wentz to be able to break through and win this award. Nothing less will make the level of impact needed to give the Philadelphia quarterback the edge.

DAK PRESCOTT, DALLAS COWBOYS
2020 MVP ODDS: +1800

The Cowboys have to do what the Eagles need to do – get a top-two seed – for Prescott to fight past the various other contenders on this list. Great statistics won’t be recognized without great team results. He had the great statistics this past year, finishing second in passing yards with 4,902, but nobody had him in the MVP conversation. He needs to elevate this team.

Get the latest NFL football odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter!

BetOnline.ag on Instagram–Follow for the latest odds, stats and information!