Aaron Rodgers closes gap on Tom Brady in NFL MVP odds

Tom Brady entered Sunday arsenic the odds-on favourite to triumph his 4th NFL MVP award.

But that changed aft Brady was unopen retired for the 3rd clip successful his vocation successful Tampa Bay’s 9-0 nonaccomplishment to New Orleans.

Brady remains the +135 favourite astatine BetMGM aft entering Sunday astatine -175. But reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers has closed the spread and fundamentally made it a two-man race.

After starring the top-seeded Packers (11-3) to a 31-30 triumph implicit the Ravens, Rodgers — who has thrown 13 touchdown passes and nary interceptions successful his past 4 games — moved from +550 to the +165 2nd prime astatine BetMGM. He’s +180 astatine Caesars Sportsbook.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is the 11-1 3rd prime and Colts moving backmost Jonathan Taylor the 12-1 4th choice.

Brady is the biggest liability astatine MGM.

“We person a large liability connected Tom Brady and a large liability connected Patrick Mahomes,” MGM Resorts manager of trading Jeff Stoneback said. “So if Aaron Rodgers wins that, that’s good with us.”

Brady leads the league successful passing yards (4,348) and TD passes (36). Rodgers is 10th successful passing yards (3,487) and tied with Mahomes for 5th successful TD passes (30).

“It’s decidedly down to Brady and Rodgers, 2 guys who person been phenomenal for astir of the year,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “Jonathan Taylor is simply a longer shot. He’s having a large twelvemonth but his squad is obscurity adjacent the level of the Buccaneers and Packers.

“In my eyes, there’s a large spread betwixt Brady and Rodgers, and Mahomes and Taylor.”

Quarterbacks person claimed 13 of the past 14 NFL MVP awards and 17 of the past 20. Taylor leads the league successful rushing yards (1,518) and rushing TDs (17).

“I could spot Taylor being a superior darkhorse close now,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook manager Chuck Esposito said. “Taylor has virtually taken the Colts and enactment them connected his backmost and helium has an extracurricular changeable astatine 2,000 rushing yards this season.”

Packers supplant Bucs

In Super Bowl odds, Green Bay has supplanted Tampa Bay arsenic the 2nd prime to triumph the Super Bowl down Kansas City, the statement favourite astatine Las Vegas sportsbooks.

The Packers are the 5-1 2nd prime astatine Caesars Sportsbook and 4-1 co-favorites with the Chiefs astatine Circa Sports.

“For me, 1 of the teams with the biggest home-field vantage successful each of sports, particularly pro football, is Green Bay playing successful Lambeau Field,” Esposito said. “If you’re looking astatine the AFC, the toughest spot to play is astir apt successful Arrowhead Stadium successful Kansas City. So close present the 2 teams connected apical successful some conferences tin marque a superior lawsuit astatine having the largest home-field vantage successful either conference.”

200-1 prop

In Super Bowl LIII successful 2019, the Westgate SuperBook was connected the hook for astir 7 figures connected a nary touchdown scored prop earlier the Patriots scored a TD with 7 minutes near en way to a 13-3 triumph implicit the Rams.

On Sunday, the likelihood were 200-1 astatine the Westgate connected nary TDs to beryllium scored successful the Saints’ 9-0 triumph implicit the Buccaneers. But the publication cashed lone 3 tickets connected the prop: 2 $5 bets to marque $1,000 each and a $2 summons that paid $400.

“If it would’ve been the Super Bowl,” Kornegay said. “It would’ve been a disaster.”

Contact newsman Todd Dewey astatine tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 connected Twitter.