Could this be the season that Wilson finally gets his proper respect from the voters?
Russell Wilson still hasn’t received a single MVP vote during his NFL career. That’s one of the most egregious injustices in a league stuffed with them. In 2020, Wilson got off to an incredible start and was considered the frontrunner to win the award during the first half of the season. Unfortunately, Wilson’s performance fell off after Week 8 and he was surpassed by Aaron Rodgers, who went on to win his third MVP.
Could this be the season that Wilson finally gets his proper respect from the voters? Shiel Kapadia at the Athletic think so. He’s predicted that 2021 will be Wilson’s year.
“Wilson still has two stud receivers — DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett — in their primes. And the Seahawks’ offensive line has the potential to be an above-average unit. Is it possible that Pete Carroll pushes the run game more? Of course. That’s the expectation. But Wilson should still get plenty of opportunities to air it out, especially considering that the Seahawks’ defense might not be that great and Seattle will need to score points to be competitive.”
To get there, a few things will need to happen.
First, Wilson has to sustain a high level of play for the entire year. A bad week or two is bound to happen but he can’t go through an extended slump like he did near the end of last season.
Next, Seattle has to finish with a stellar record – nothing less than 13-4 will get the job done.
Wilson will also need to get a lift from his coaching, which has let him down so far in his career. Previous playcallers Brian Schottenheimer and Darrell Bevell never succeeded in developing Wilson’s quick game – an area that new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron should thrive in.
Most of all, Seattle has to take the shackles off. Wilson has reached the point in his career where he should be able to run a no-huddle offense with absolute freedom to make changes as he sees fit. While there’s room for the underrated Chris Carson to get plenty of touches, the organization (namely Pete Carroll) has to abandon the instinct to embrace a physical run-first offense and allow Wilson to truly let it fly.
If all that happens, Wilson’s chances of winning MVP should be as good as anyone’s.
It was a week of headlines around the league, with the Pittsburgh Steelers edging the now-2-7 Dallas Cowboys and improving to 8-0, the New York Jets finding a way to lose on Monday Night Football and move to 0-9, Tua Tagovailoa winning his second start and moving the Miami Dolphins to 5-3, the New Orleans Saints dominating Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and more.
Arizona’s Kyler Murray and Seattle’s Russell Wilson are early favorites to take home the NFL MVP award. Who, if either, will end up taking home the award?
Through two weeks of the season, NFL fans and analysts are already making their MVP award predictions. While there are quite a few right now, it’ll narrow down to about two or three candidates by midseason. Two of the very popular picks to this point are division rivals — Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
For the Cardinals, Murray has been often compared to Wilson. Their similar playing style and stature on the field make them an easy comparison. Coming out of the draft, Murray’s pro comparison was Wilson himself.
Both Murray and Wilson are trying to lead their teams to the top of the gauntlet that is the NFC West. Heading into week 3, three teams are 2-0, with the last place team being the defending NFC Champion 49ers. Should the division crown fall to Murray’s Cardinals, or Wilson’s Seahawks, MVP votes will come rolling in. To this point, the West is the consensus best division in the game.
Comparing Murray and Wilson’s supporting casts:
It’s no secret that the young & rapidly ascending quarterback has won the MVP award the last two seasons in Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, While Mahomes won the award seemingly by midseason in his year, Jackson was very much going toe-to-toe with Russell Wilson on a weekly basis at one point. Despite Wilson and Jackson’s similar 2019 campaigns, Wilson did not receive a single MVP vote. The takeaway here — the voters of the Associated Press love the young & new stars.
Big-name players do two things for a football team. They help a team win games and they create media attention. Arizona and Seattle both have their share of these players.
Wilson’s Seahawks are no stranger to household names. Seattle’s offensive supporting cast currently consists of D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Chris Carson and Greg Olsen.
Murray’s supporting group is highlighted by DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and Kenyan Drake.
Both quarterbacks obviously have their fair share of talent and players that receive plenty of media coverage. Arizona and Seattle each made a blockbuster trade this offseason in DeAndre Hopkins and Jamal Adams. Those moves already made them two of the most talked-about teams in the offseason. That has carried over into the season.
To conclude here, Arizona and Seattle have both been talked about heavily and are receiving the sort of attention a team with an MVP-candidate needs, so that their player may take home the award.
Two Elite Dual-Threat Quarterbacks:
The NFL loves their mobile quarterbacks, with Wilson and Murray being two of the best. To this point, Murray has been better with the rushing attack, with Wilson being the better passer.
The MVP winner needs highlight-reel plays. Being a part of a good football team is not enough. Both quarterbacks have given plenty of those in just two games.
Russell Wilson makes a perfect throw to DK Metcalf for the 54-yard TD! #Seahawks
Here, Russell Wilson drops a perfect 54-yard bomb right over the head of the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore. In terms of highlight-reel plays, that will certainly do.
Through two weeks, Kyler Murray has the following stats:
66.7% completion percentage
516 passing yards
2 passing touchdowns/2 interceptions
158 rushing yards
3 rushing touchdowns
Meanwhile, Russell Wilson’s passing statistics are ridiculous:
82.5% completion percentage
610 passing yards
9 touchdown passes/1 interception
68 rushing yards.
Murray’s passing touchdown numbers will need to improve to compete with Wilson’s on paper. Both teams have had similar games to this point. They each handled a mediocre team(ATL for Wilson, WAS for Murray). Wilson and Murray also each embarrassed an elite defense(NE for Wilson, SF for Murray).
Media Hype & Conclusion:
Both the Cardinals and the Seahawks have had a promising start to the 2020 season. With the way the NFC West is going down, it may be the Arizona-Seattle matchups themselves that have the most impact on the MVP award, as well as division standings.
NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger has selected Murray as his MVP choice in 2020. More and more analysts are beginning to believe in Arizona’s second-year quarterback.
Former NFL Pro Bowl punter and talk show host Pat McAfee also calls Murray the “Next Great QB.”
If Wilson’s current pace continues and Murray continues to improve each game, there may very well by an MVP race in the NFC West.
Analyzing the betting odds to be named the NFL’s 2020 MVP, with a look at whether Russell Wilson is worthy of a bet this season.
Do you think Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson has what it takes to win the 2020 NFL MVP?
He’s surprisingly never received a single vote for MVP in his NFL career, but Wilson remains one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The success he’s had with Seattle is bound to continue in 2020 as the team looks like Super Bowl contenders once again. We’ll take a look at whether Wilson can actually take home the NFL MVP based on past history and future projections.
Let’s examine his chances, the BetMGM NFL futures odds around it happening and whether or not Wilson is worth a bet.
Recent NFL MVP winners
A quarterback has won NFL MVP in each of the last seven seasons, which is a positive trend for Wilson. The Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson did it last year as a dual-threat player, rushing for 1,206 yards and leading the NFL with 36 touchdown passes. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes had 5,097 passing yards with 50 touchdowns in 2018 when he won the award, while Tom Brady’s 4,577 passing yards and 32 TDs for the New England Patriots led to him winning MVP in 2017.
Wilson will need to throw for at least 4,500 yards and toss no fewer than 30 touchdowns if he wants to win MVP in 2020, a combination he’s never had in his career.
Wilson is +500 to win the 2020 MVP, just behind the favorite Mahomes (+325). Seattle’s Wilson is also +500 as the these three are far ahead of the competition. The next-closest player is New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees at +1400.
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Russell Wilson’s stats
Wilson had one of his best seasons in the NFL last year, throwing for 4,110 yards, 31 touchdowns and a career-low five interceptions. He also took a league-high 48 sacks, so he’ll need help from his O-line in 2020 if he wants to win MVP.
Is Russell Wilson worth a 2020 NFL MVP bet?
The Seahawks play in arguably the toughest division in football with the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals and the NFC defending champion San Francisco 49ers all on the schedule twice. If Seattle can win 11 games going through that gauntlet in 2020, it’ll greatly help Wilson’s chances, especially if he’s clutch late in games.
Wilson has all the tools to win MVP and plays the most important position in football, which makes him a good bet. At +500, he may not have the upside of someone like Carson Wentz (+2000), but Wilson is deservingly one of the favorites to win the award.
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The Arizona Cardinals take on their division rival Seattle Seahawks in this exciting week 16 matchup.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
When the NFL schedules are released in April, the annual trip to CenturyLink Field is always circled by Cardinals fans. The rivalry between the Cardinals and the Seahawks has produced some very memorable games over the past few years. Sunday will mark the second matchup between Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson, two of the league’s more dynamic quarterbacks.
Before we dive into Sunday’s matchup, here were some of the previous games at CenturyLink Field:
2018: The Cardinals lose on a last-second field goal by Sebastian Janikowski after a near-comeback by quarterback Josh Rosen.
2017: Blair Walsh misses a potential game-winning field goal as the Drew Stanton-lead Cardinals upset Seattle in Bruce Arians’ final game with the team
2016: Quarterback Carson Palmer and David Johnson put on an offensive clinic as the Cardinals win on a last-second Chandler Catanzaro field goal.
2015: The Cardinals and MVP candidate Carson Palmer get a statement victory on Sunday Night Football against the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks.
2014″ The Cardinals are unable to find any offensive momentum and lose 19-3 in disappointing fashion.
2013: In a game dominated by defense, Carson Palmer finds Michael Floyd on a long pass down the sideline to beat Seattle and keep their playoff hopes alive.
2012: The Cardinals suffer arguably their worse loss in team history, losing 58-0.
So, aside from two outings, the Cardinals and Seahawks games have always been very fun.
At this point in the season, there are fans who want the team to lose in favor of a higher draft pick. They’ve given up on the season and are already thinking about their favorite college player. In a game like this, fans should want to see a Cardinals victory, for a signature win against the No. 1 seed of the NFC would go a long way in the direction of the franchise. It could make the Cardinals a more attractive destination for free agents, which would improve the team quicker than any draft pick would. All in all, beating Seattle would be very beneficial to the outside view of the Cardinals.
