Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ knee injury has opened the door for several others to stake their claim as the favorite for NFL Most Valuable Player honors.
Quarterbacks Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) and Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans), as well as Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey have inserted their names in the congested discussion.
Mahomes, in fact, was not favored to win the award for the first time this year on Oct. 15, per sportsbettingdime.com. Wilson held that honor last week at +200, followed by Mahomes (+250).
And then Mahomes left Thursday night’s victory over the Denver Broncos after sustaining a dislocated right kneecap. The reigning NFL MVP reportedly is expected to miss three games with the injury.
As of Monday, Wilson and Rodgers had the shortest odds at +275 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Watson were at +600, with Mahomes tumbling to +1000. McCaffrey is close behind at +1100.
FanDuel Sportsbook also listed Wilson and Rodgers as co-favorites, but at +350. FanDuel also dropped Mahomes to +1000.
Mahomes has completed 157 of 241 passes for 2,180 yards with 15 touchdowns and one interception in seven games this season. His passing yardage total leads the NFL while his touchdown passes are tied with Wilson and Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) for tops in the league entering Monday’s play.
Wilson has thrown for 1,945 yards this season while his lone interception was returned for a touchdown in Seattle’s 30-16 loss to the Ravens on Sunday.
Rodgers, who completed 25 of 31 passes for 429 yards with six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) in Green Bay’s 42-24 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. The two-time NFL MVP (2011, 2014) has thrown for 2,019 yards with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions this season while Watson has passed for 1,952 with 13 TDs and five picks.
McCaffrey has rushed for 618 yards and seven touchdowns and added 35 receptions for 305 yards and two scores.