The NFL MVP race for 2017 should get interesting down the stretch with the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton among the top contenders in the latest odds. Newton had a successful past week thanks to leading his team to a 45-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins in their Monday Night Football game. Ahead of that big game, he was off the listing for sportsbooks giving odds for possible NFL MVP winners. Now Newton is a top 10 candidate.
As of Saturday night, the Paddy Power Irish sports book was listing a total of 26 different candidates for the NFL MVP Award . The bulk of the top contenders were quarterbacks, with Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell the only running back listed among the top 10. Carson Wentz continues to lead all contenders with 6-4 odds, while Seattle’s Russell Wilson had moved to second place with 3-1 odds. Tom Brady slid to third with odds of 7-2, or +350. As of this report, Newton was tied for sixth place on the list with the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott with 25-1 odds. The list below shows the latest top 10 contenders, including players tied for various spots on the list.
Top 10 NFL MVP Contenders (as of 11/18/17)
1. Carson Wentz 6-4 2. Russell Wilson 3-1 3. Tom Brady 7-2 4. Alex Smith 11-2 T5. LeVeon Bell 14-1 T5. Drew Brees 14-1 T6. Cam Newton 25-1 T6. Dak Prescott 25-1 7. Jared Goff 33-1 8. Matthew Stafford 50-1 T9. Antonio Brown 66-1 T9. Ben Roethlisberger 66-1 T9. Todd Gurley 66-1 10. Derek Carr 80-1
As mentioned, Cam Newton is tied with Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards with 16 touchdowns, and has a 96.3 rating so far this season , his second in a young NFL career. The Cowboys are just 5-4 right now and with Ezekiel Elliott suspended for five more games, a lot of Dallas’ success could fall upon the shoulders of Prescott.
The Carolina Panthers are currently 7-3 and on a three-game winning streak. Newton’s season stats 2,234 passing yards and 14 touchdowns, with an 83 rating. He’s also racked up 436 yards rushing along with four touchdowns on the ground. It’s not too inconceivable to believe that should Newton guide the team to a top record in the NFC, it could drastically improve his shot at winning the award for the second time in his career.
Newton was previously the NFL MVP in the 2015 season, but had a sluggish 2016 in which his team failed to qualify for the playoffs. As of this point, it’s looking like Carolina has a good shot at the postseason thanks to Cam Newton’s play.
[Featured Image by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]
