With the Seattle Seahawks losing to the New York Giants, a team from the saddest division in the NFL by far, where does that put Russell Wilson in the MVP conversation?
Coming into the weekend, Patrick Mahomes was already projected to win the NFL MVP by a long shot, he was -400 to win with Aaron Rodgers +550 and Wilson in third at +650 according to Bovada. But, as we know with what happened on Sunday, Rodgers became the quickest QB to 400 TDs in NFL history and Mahomes was Mahomes which boosted bettered both their odds to win.
Russell Wilson, however, lost to the number 24 team in the official NFL Power Rankings. This definitely lowers his draft stock. While he’s second in the NFL in passing TDs at 32, trailing by four to Aaron, he’s also one interception away from his career record for picks in a season.
I’m not one to take away an MVP from someone who’s thrown a few picks or someone who’s had to play with a defense that was ranked in the bottom, but now when we look at the numbers, it seems that Russell Wilson may be the one starting to cost the team wins – along with his MVP bout.
Maybe.
But losing to the abysmal 4-7 (now 5-7) New York Giants, who played with a backup quarterback, doesn’t look good, especially when Rodgers and Mahomes both won. It might’ve not been the high-scoring game we are accustomed to witnessing from Mahomes, but a win is a win, especially when you put up 318 passing yards.
As of the time of writing, Vegas hasn’t updated their MVP odds but it’ll be interesting to see how far Wilson has fallen.
One thing that helps (or hurts depending on who you ask) Wilson is the ease of schedule for the remainder of the season. They play the New York Jets and the Washington Football Team the next two weeks followed by important divisional games against the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.
Now the first two teams aren’t having their best years. The Jets are 0-12. Playing well against them isn’t really going to say much in the MVP race to doubters.
The Washington Football Team, with their subpar record, do have a respectable defense – a top 10 one to be exact. So stats put up against won’t be taken with a grain of salt. It’s vital Russ has a good game.
The Rams have a top 20 defense in the league. So if Wilson is wanting to win the MVP, or at least get his campaign back on track, this is also a game where he needs to show out. Winning a highly anticipated divisional game is one easy way to get back into the conversation.
The 49ers, who are in the playoff hunt, also have a dominant defense, ranked number 7 in the league even though they are littered with injuries. Again, Wilson needs to prove himself to solidify himself as the potential MVP. The best way to end the season is by obliterating your top 10 rival.
While it may seem Russell Wilson has fallen off from his MVP run and historic numbers, hope is still there. It will take four of his best games to put himself over the edge but it’s entirely possible. And maybe, just maybe, the Pacific Northwest can be the home of an MVP winner in over a decade and a half.
