Every week, the MVP odds shift and change. And while Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers seems to be strengthening his position after his team clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC on Sunday night, an intriguing option is emerging.
Yes, PointsBet has Rodgers as the clear favorite at -400. But Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has improved to +1000. (Tom Brady sits at +600.)
Who not put Burrow’s name on the ballot (even if his name came off his jersey on Sunday against the Chiefs)? He led the Bengals from worst to first after a season that was derailed by a torn ACL that he suffered last November. He won a much tougher division than the NFC North, arguably the worst in football (but for the presence of the Packers). He swept the Steelers, the Ravens. He beat the Chiefs. (Rodgers wasn’t available for his team’s game against Kansas City.)
Burrow has 4,611 passing yards. He’s averaging 8.9 yards per attempt. His passer rating of 108.3 is better than Tom Brady’s (100.5) and not far behind Rodgers’s (111.1).
That said, Rodgers and the Packers beat Burrow and the Bengals, 25-22 in overtime. Back in Week Five. A game that seemingly neither team wanted to win.
While Rodgers likely will win the award (woke mob notwithstanding), Burrow deserves to at least be in the conversation. In the coming years, the conversation will be starting with Burrow.
But if the voters decide to shun Rodgers for lying about being vaccinated so that he could conduct press conferences without wearing a mask, Burrow provides a nice alternative. As does Brady.
Still, Rodgers likely will be the MVP. And that likely won’t stop him from whining about being canceled, even though no one is trying to cancel him.