Who are the early season MVP favorites through Week 2?
Josh Allen was named the preseason favorite to win MVP of the NFL and has started his season off in fantastic fashion with blowout wins.
It’s way too early to go naming the Most Valuable Player in the NFL, but two weeks into the season there are some who have been a cut above the rest.
Some were tabbed to be in the running for the MVP award by the sportsbooks in the preseason, and some have come out of nowhere to present their candidacy. Without further ado, here is an update on how some of those preseason favorites to win the award are doing after Week 2.
Josh Allen, Preseason odds: +700
The Buffalo Bills quarterback came into the season as the favorite to be crowned the league’s MVP at the end of the season and he has done nothing to disprove the odds makers forecast. After a shining in a spot light game against the defending Super Bowl Champions on Kickoff Thursday, he once again dropped jaws on Monday night in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.
Allen threw for almost 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams while completing 83.9% of his passes. Against the Titans he racked up 317 yards and four touchdowns before sitting the entire fourth quarter. If the Bills continue to blow teams out, that could hurt Allen’s chances to pad his stats late in games.
Let’s not forget how good of a rusher Allen is. He is a pass first guy, but doesn’t mind tucking and running. In two games he has rushed it 11 times for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Completion %: 75.4% Yards: 614 TD: 7 INT: 2
Tom Brady, Preseason odds: +800
Tom Terrific came out of retirement in the offseason and was still named the second favorite to win the MVP award at the age of 45 year old. There has been some shake ups in Tampa Bay since the Bucs lost to the Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Todd Bowles took over for Bruce Arians who stepped down from his coaching duties, and the offensive line isn’t quite as solid as it was last year.
Tom is a year older, and has had some off the field issues that required his attention in the preseason. He will also be getting veteran Wednesday’s off, but neither of those things should affect Brady’s performance on the field.
It’s true that the opening two games of the Bucs season haven’t been pretty but Tampa Bay is still 2-0. He is averaging just over 200 yards a game and has two TDs and one INT through the first two games of the season.
Completion %: 59% Yards: 402 TD: 2 INT: 1
Patrick Mahomes, Preseason odds: +850
How would the Chiefs look after losing down field threat Tyreek Hill? Surely Patrick Mahomes will miss his favorite target over the last five seasons, and the Chiefs offense will look a shadow of what it used to be. I’m sure Mahomes just scoffed at these predictions that are turning out to be the farthest thing from the truth.
The Chiefs didn’t need to make a statement in the season opener after having dominated the AFC for the last few years, but Mahomes and the Chiefs wasted no time in letting the league know they’d be just fine without Hill. KC posted 44 points, 37 through the first three quarters, as the former Texas Tech man threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns.
In the game against the Chargers, his stats were more moderate, but we still saw the Mahomes of old, scrambling out of the pocket, sidearm slinging TD passes, and leading his team to victory.
Completion %: 73% Yards: 595 TD: 7 INT: 0
Aaron Rodgers, Preseason odds: +1000
Aaron Rodgers knows what it’s like to win an MVP. He’s already done it four times, and is defending back-to-back MVP awards from the last two seasons. He may have lost his top target from the last eight years, but Rodgers will be just fine.
The opening game of the season was ugly for the Packers. They got blown out by the Minnesota Vikings and Rodgers threw for less than 200 yards. While it isn’t ideal, the Packers started last season out in similar fashion, getting waxed by the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. No. 12 would go on to take Green Bay to the Playoffs and win his fourth MVP of the season.
The Sunday Night game against the Chicago Bears was a little cleaner from Rodgers and the Pack. Rodgers had 234 yards passing with two touchdowns on a night where he went 19/25. If he wins the MVP this year he would join his Packers predecessor, Brett Favre as the only player to win the award three years in a row.
Completion %: 69.5% Yards: 429 TD: 2 INT: 1
Justin Herbert, Preseason odds: +1000
In just his third season, Justin Herbert has already put himself into the category of elite quarterback in the NFL. He almost led the Chargers to the playoffs last year, and this season Los Angeles is looking like one of the early favorites to win the AFC West.
Herbert started the new season by throwing three touchdowns in each of the first two games. He looked like he was in complete control of the offense in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders when he passed for 279 yards in the Chargers opening win of the season.
He had 334 yards and three touchdowns in a showdown with Patrick Mahomes on Thursday night. Even though the Chargers lost the game, Herbert proved that he’s ready to be brought into the discussion of elite QBs in the NFL by outperforming Mahomes in the primetime game.
Completion %: 72% Yards: 613 TD: 6 INT: 1
Others in the mix
The MVP is not exclusively an award given out to quarterbacks, but over the last two decades the award has been dominated by gunslingers. Since 2000, there there have only been three years in which the league named a non quarterback the Most Valuable Player. Three running backs, Marshall Faulk in 2000, Sean Alexander in 2005 and LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006 were crowed the best player in the league.
While it’s unlikely a running back will win the award this year since the position has become less important over the years, there are a couple surprises coming out of South Beach. The arrival of Tyreek Hill in Miami has revolutionized the offense. He leads the league in reception yards with 284 yards, and two TDs over the first two weeks of the season. His quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leads the league in passing yards and with 739 yards and is tied at the top with seven passing touchdowns.
Lamar Jackson could be in a contract season depending how negotiations go between him and Baltimore during the season. Jackson wasn’t in the top five favorites to win the MVP, but he has 531 yards passing with six touchdowns and just one interception. He also has 136 rushing yards which is more than Derrick Henry.