NFL Predictions: Will Matt Ryan Repeat as NFL MVP? 7/10/17
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan surprised many pundits by winning the MVP in 2016 but will he repeat the feat in 2017?
2017 NFL MVP Odds
According to oddsmakers, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady both have 5/1 odds, respectively, to win the NFL MVP award in 2017. Derek Carr has the next-best odds at 8/1. He’s followed by Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson at 12/1, respectively.
Ryan, meanwhile, is 14/1 to repeat as league MVP. Dak Prescott has the next-best odds at 15/1, followed by Andrew Luck, David Johnson Ezekiel Elliott and Le’Veon Bell at 20/1, respectively. Cam Newton, Drew Brees and Marcus Mariota are all 30/1, respectively.
The Case Against Ryan
It’s simply: No player has won back-to-back MVP awards since Peyton Manning accomplished the feat in both 2008 and 2009. Since then, six different players have taken home the honors, including Manning in 2013 as a member of the Broncos. Repeat winners are few and far between.
The other issue facing Ryan is that the Falcons were forced to replace offensive coordinators. After forming a bond with new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan the past two years, Ryan will now work with new Atlanta OC Steve Sarkisian. More than likely, Ryan and Sarkisian will need a year or two to get comfortable with each other. That was the case with Ryan and Shanahan, who had a rocky 2015 before coming together perfectly in 2016.
If not Ryan, then who?
A quarterback has won the MVP four consecutive years and nine times since 2007. Brady and Rodgers still offer value as the favorites, but one intriguing long-shot is Wilson at 12/1 odds. He dropped weight this offseason in efforts to be more athletic than he was a year ago.
Plus, he was hurt for most of 2016, playing on a bad ankle and knee. Assuming he’s healthy and Seattle’s offensive line doesn’t get him killed (which is a big if), Wilson should put up good numbers.
The Seahawks are also favored to win the NFC West, a division that is theirs for the taking. Thus, if he leads Seattle to a winning record and one of the top seeds in the NFC, Wilson should garner plenty of MVP attention.
