Patrick Mahomes still favored for NFL MVP, but not by much (video)

We love talking about NFL awards, even if it’s ridiculously early.

Checking each major player’s bounty after the first month of the season is fun, even if it’s a little silly, and each bounty race is sure to make a difference. But being a favorite for the top prize after a month isn’t all that bad.

Using BetMGM’s odds, let’s take a look at what each top prize looks like after four weeks of the NFL season:

MVP: Patrick Mahomes is somehow still favored

Mahomes is the best player in the world, but it’s a bit strange why BetMGM favors him for MVP.

Mahomes is off to an average start with six touchdowns and five interceptions. It has a disappointing pass rate of 89.7. Despite this, he is still the favorite to win MVP at +240. This seems odd until you remember recent history in which the MVP award almost always goes to the No. 1 seed quarterback and the Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0. This simple and boring formula still points to Mahomes, even if it doesn’t make much sense given his play. It’s questionable whether Mahomes’ numbers will increase significantly given the injuries to those surrounding him Rashee Rice, Marquise Brown and Isiah Pacheco.

Josh Allen has performed better than Mahomes and is right behind him in the MVP category at +260 odds. If the vote were taken today, it would be gross for Mahomes to get any votes over Allen, regardless of recent voting history and odds. We’ll see if the Buffalo Bills can get the No. 1 pick, which has been a requirement for MVP voters for most of this century. Would voters have broken the current pattern and given the award to Allen if the bills had been in second or third place? We’ll see. Lamar Jackson is third in terms of MVP odds and is down 10 to 1.

Realistically, Allen has a significant lead in the race, but there’s nothing someone like CJ Stroud, Jared Goff, or Sam Darnold (or maybe even Jayden Daniels?) couldn’t overcome if their team’s score was good enough at the end Good.

Offensive Player of the Year: It’s Saquon Barkley, but Derrick Henry gets the nod

The OPOY race has several runners leading in new places. Too bad the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t afford any of them this offseason, right?

Barkley performed really well for the Philadelphia Eagles, recording 520 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in four games. He was a key player in both of the Eagles’ victories. He is the rightful favorite for OPOY at +400.

Derrick Henry has made huge progress in two huge weeks. He has racked up 350 rushing yards over the last two weeks, and it looks like the Baltimore Ravens have figured out how to use him. In practice, this means getting him the ball as often as possible. He is at +550 odds, while Justin Jefferson is the second player at less than 11-to-1 odds at +600.

Defensive Player of the Year: TJ Watt has had another big year

Watt is doing what he always does for the Pittsburgh Steelers, making great plays on defense that led the team to a 3-0 record. He is a +325 DPOY favorite.

Aidan Hutchinson is an interesting name behind Watt. The Detroit Lions defense leads the NFL with 6.5 sacks, but there are some questions. He had 4.5 sacks in one game, but it was a loss. Plus, the Lions defense isn’t great yet, and could the DPOY go to a player with average defense? Maybe. Hutchinson’s art certainly deserves attention.

A name to watch might be Kansas City Chiefs lineman Chris Jones. He finishes the game with two sacks, is a key to the Chiefs’ fantastic defense, has never won a DPOY and has the ability to dominate for long periods of time. Denver Broncos defenseman Patrick Surtain II has much fewer chances (66 to 1), who has had a dominant start to the season but is not yet recognized enough. At some point his great play will start to be noticed.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jayden Daniels is the heavy early favorite

Daniels is the biggest favorite for any award. He’s -150 at BetMGM. That Daniels is his favorite is indisputable, but let’s not forget about Malik Nabers either.

Nabers is second best at +375. He’s off to a great start for the New York Giants, leading the NFL with 35 catches for 386 yards and three touchdowns. However, if the quarterback plays like Daniels, the non-quarterback player has virtually no chance. Just ask Puka Nacua, who set records but lost to CJ Stroud last season.

Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. they are +700 points to win OROY, which means they shouldn’t give up on their chances despite some ups and downs in their first month in the NFL. But for now, it’s Daniels’ prize to lose.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: The choice is still open

This defensive rookie class wasn’t all that strong, and it’s not surprising that no one stood out after four weeks.

The +300 favorite is Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Jared Verse. He’s off to a good start. Laiatu Latu of the Indianapolis Colts is second in odds (+500), but other than one big pass against the Chicago Bears, he hasn’t done much yet. That’s his only sack, and he has just three tackles. That he is the second favorite says something about the lack of class influence on that side of the ball.

Coach of the Year: Kevin O’Connell, of course

No one will vote on the awards after four weeks, but if they did, O’Connell would likely win the Coach of the Year award unanimously. He did a remarkable job for the Minnesota Vikings, who won 4-0. He is the rightful betting favorite at +200. Mike Macdonald of the Seattle Seahawks and Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders are next in the +650 bracket and they’ve also done well, but O’Connell should be an even bigger favorite at this point.

If the Vikings can maintain anything close to their early-season pace, this prize won’t be very intriguing.

Comeback Player of the Year: Aaron Rodgers, led by Sam Darnold

The Associated Press made the decision to emphasize that the spirit of the award should be to reward a player who has overcome some adversity, not just a career decline. This likely means Darnold won’t win, but we’ll see how voters accept the award. Darnold is the second favorite alongside Rodgers, who missed most of last season with an Achilles tear (+175). Next at +650 is Joe Burrow, who is undergoing wrist surgery.

It’s a strange award every season because everyone has their own criteria. This makes it difficult to predict.