With three weeks to play, it appears as if the 2020 NFL Most Valuable Player race is down to just two players: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Mahomes is the current betting favorite at -210, while Rodgers is +155. The next-best option is Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen at +3300.
Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, has the Kansas City Chiefs at 12-1, the best record in the league. He has completed 68.4% of his passes for a league-best 4,208 yards through 13 games. He had two interceptions on Sunday at Miami but only has five on the season to go with 33 touchdowns. Mahomes also has 250 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Last year’s Super Bowl MVP is on pace for a career-high 5,180 passing yards.
Rodgers, who just turned 37 at the start of December, is a two-time NFL MVP. He has the Green Bay Packers in position for the top seed in the NFL at 10-3. Rodgers has completed 69.6% of his passes this season for 3,685 yards, and he leads the NFL with 39 touchdown passes against just four interceptions. Rodgers is on pace for a career-high 48 touchdowns, and he has added two rushing touchdowns.
Super Bowl Favorites
The Chiefs are favored to be the first repeat champions in the NFL in 16 years. The oddsmakers have the Chiefs at -195 to win another title after they took over the top spot in the AFC this week. In the NFC, the two 10-3 teams, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, are both +700.
After taking over the top spot in the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams are now +1000 to win it all. Two division leaders in the AFC who met last Sunday night are both +1300 as the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The top favorite teams that are not currently division leaders both reside in the NFC and have Super Bowl winners at quarterback. The Seattle Seahawks with Russell Wilson and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Tom Brady are both +1500.
Chiefs/Saints Showdown
In what could be a Super Bowl preview, the 10-3 Saints host the 12-1 Chiefs this Sunday in New Orleans. The Chiefs are favored by four points, as it appears the Saints will still be without injured quarterback Drew Brees (ribs). While the Chiefs ascended to the top spot in the AFC last Sunday, the Saints fell behind the Packers on a tiebreaker. A loss this week could drop the Saints into the No. 3 seed if Seattle or the L.A. Rams win.
The Chiefs have already clinched another AFC West title, so they are now playing for the top seed, which brings a bye and home-field advantage. The Saints have a two-game lead and the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay in the division race, and they can clinch the NFC South with a home win on Sunday. With the addition of one Wild Card team in each conference, the No. 2 seed will no longer get a bye week.