NFL SEASON PREDICTIONS: MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

BY ADAM GREENE

Unlike the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award, the Most Valuable Player doesn’t need the best stats. What he does need to be on is a winning team and preferably a division champion.

Since 2010, only one time did the MVP play on a Wild Card team and that was 2012 when Adrian Peterson ran for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns not even a full year after tearing his ACL. His Minnesota Vikings team went 10-6 that year.

Any chance it happens again? Nope, but we’ll take a look anyway.

2020 NFL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER ODDS

Like the Offensive Player of the Year odds, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (+500) leads the way with Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (+900), last year’s winner, hot on his heels.

If you want to back Mahomes, that’s certainly the smart play. Virtually the same Chiefs team returns from last year’s Super Bowl winning squad and Mahomes could easily end up tossing 50 touchdowns in Andy Reid’s offense. If Kansas City finishes 12-4 and he has a stat line like that, he’s taking home both the OPOTY and MVP.

Jackson, I feel like he’s due for a return to Earth this season as are the Ravens. I think they’ll struggle to make the playoffs and while Jackson will still be good, he’ll face more defenses like the one the Tennessee Titians used to stymie him in the divisional round and won’t put up Madden cheat code numbers.

As we look outside those two, who else could find their way into the MVP conversation? We know if has to be a guy playing on a division winner. The only way it won’t be is if the guy is coming back from a season ending injury and puts up ridiculous numbers. The guys that fit that bill? Cam Newton (+2500) and Ben Roethlisberger (+3300). And the fact is, they fit both  requirements as I feel that the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers will probably win their respective divisions.

But will they put the stats up to shoot them past a guy like Mahomes? Roethlisberger, probably not. Newton, maybe. Because he’s playing for the best offensive coordinator he’s taken playcalls from in his career, Josh McDaniels. Newton, if he stays healthy, is set to put up career numbers in the Pats offense. He could be the Madden cheat code this year and take this trophy home.

Outside of those two, Tom Brady (+1200) has already won the award three times and taking a perennial underperforming Tampa Bay Buccaneers team to 13-3 would put him in the conversation.

Russell Wilson (+1400) always gets a lot of love in the preseason and constant fainting shock that he’s never gotten so much as an MVP vote. If the Seattle Seahawks go 14-2, he’s in the conversation, but nobody thinks that’ll happen. They’re an 11-5 team that will make it as far as RW takes him, which means he’s their MVP if nothing else,. But he won’t put up the stats to contend with Mahomes and the Seahawks are probably a Wild Card team at best.

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