Familiar names dominate American football betting for the 2022 regular season NFL MVP award.
Aaron Rodgers has won the award in consecutive years, but he faces fierce competition in his efforts to threepeat. No one has won MVP in three straight seasons since Brett Favre in the 1990s.
Naturally, the teams at the forefront of outright NFL predictions are represented in the MVP race. Leading a contending team is a good starting point to earn MVP votes.
Here are five of our favourite candidates to win the prestigious award in 2022.
Josh Allen
Josh Allen led the NFL’s best offence last season.
Buffalo was already a Super Bowl contender, and has passed with flying colours this offseason, reinforcing the defence, improving the offensive line and giving Allen two more weapons in O.J. Howard and Jamison Crowder.
Allen and the Bills have the advantage of playing in a weaker division, giving them a chance to beat up inferior opponents.
This should benefit the team record and his individual stats – throw in some rushing production and Allen’s path to an MVP-esque season is straight-forward.
Josh Allen is heading into year 5 in the NFL and the MVP hype around him has never been stronger. Yet, the @BuffaloBills QB has faced his share of doubters and obstacles throughout his football journey. pic.twitter.com/5NLQHeoiF0
— NFL (@NFL) September 2, 2022
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs waved goodbye to the fastest NFL player in Tyreek Hill, but this offence has more than enough talent to compensate for Hill’s departure.
Mahomes still has his accomplice in Travis Kelce, plus there is real upside in the signing of Juju Smith-Schuster.
Head-to-head matchups are going to be crucial in building an MVP narrative for all AFC quarterbacks.
The Week 6 contest with Allen is key for Mahomes, and Week 17 against Russell Wilson’s Broncos could prove pivotal.
Tom Brady
Winner of his first MVP in 2007 and his most recent in 2017, Tom Brady remains a candidate for the award.
Those who regularly place bets on NFL are well aware of Brady’s continued brilliance after he led Tampa Bay to a 14-3 record last term.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner pushed Rodgers all the way in 2021 for MVP, too. His 5,316 passing yards were not only a career-high, but they were also the most in the NFL, and he topped the touchdown charts.
A similar return could see Brady top Most Valuable Player voting for a fourth time.
Justin Herbert
Critics loved the Chargers’ offseason and understandably so - although they don't feature in our Super Bowl 2023 contenders at this stage.
Fancying Justin Herbert as an MVP candidate is partly banking on Los Angeles improving on their 9-6 record, but it is also a vote of confidence in Herbert taking a step forward to consolidate his position among the elite quarterbacks in today’s game.
Only Brady and Matthew Stafford bested Herbert’s 38 passing touchdowns in 2021. He was second in total passing yards, too.
All it takes is a slight uptick in that production and the Chargers to win 11+ games for Herbert to be a serious MVP contender.
⚡️ 2020 Rookie of the Year
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 2, 2022
⚡️ 2022 MVP buzz @chargers QB Justin Herbert joined @OmarDRuiz! pic.twitter.com/uDuc9Y6SXC
Joe Burrow
Not only did Joe Burrow lead the Bengals to an improbable Super Bowl appearance last season, he also led the league in adjusted yards per pass attempt and was second in yards per catch.
Cincinnati hopes to have made Burrow’s life easier this offseason. Heroics will not be required as frequently, but we will still get flashes of the magic Burrow unveiled in the postseason.
All eyes are on Week 13 and Week 17 when Burrow goes up against Mahomes and Allen respectively.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
