With just a few weeks to go in the 2024 NFL regular season, things are really taking shape ahead of the postseason. One of the big questions is about season awards, which are arguably more wide open than usual. You can look around betting sites for the best odds, but these are all longshots with at least +1000 odds.
MVP: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (+1600)
Just a couple of seasons ago, Patrick Mahomes took home his second league MVP with a sudden surge that began in the middle of December with a comeback overtime win against the one-win Texans. Not saying Mahomes has played at an MVP level this year, because he has not. However, don’t be shocked if the three-time Super Bowl champion gets serious MVP talk over the final month if he can help Kansas City claim the No. 1 seed in the AFC while potentially getting past the 30-touchdown mark. Mahomes has at least two standalone opportunities (Saturday in Week 16 and Christmas Day in Week 17), potentially helping his case.
DPOY: Texans DE Danielle Hunter (+2200)
Right now, Defensive Player of the Year is wide open, so +2200 odds for someone that’s top five in the NFL in sacks on a team poised to make the postseason seems off. Danielle Hunter is squarely in the mix for the 2024 sack crown, and he’s doing it in his first year with a new team in Houston. Like Mahomes, Hunter has two opportunities in standalone games—Week 16 versus Mahomes in a Saturday matchup and a battle with the Ravens at 4:30 PM ET on Christmas Day.
CPOY: Bills S Damar Hamlin (+1300)
With respect to Joe Flacco, Damar Hamlin not getting Comeback Player of the Year last season was a bit of a stunner—which led to a change in emphasis on the criteria for the award. This season, Hamlin has started at safety for Buffalo and is playing very well. While Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the favorite for CPOY in his return from a 2023 wrist injury, you can make an easy case that Hamlin’s amazing return into a full-time player continued to a level that should give him strong consideration.
COY: Broncos HC Sean Payton (+1000)
Coach of the Year is one of the biggest toss-ups at this stage, with several worthy candidates in the mix. But two guys doing it with rookie quarterbacks—Denver’s Sean Payton and Washington’s Dan Quinn—might have an edge if they’re able to make the postseason. The Broncos were projected at 5.5 wins before the season, and they’ve already blown past that with a roster many deemed one of the worst in football. The Broncos still face the Chargers and Chiefs over the final four games, and beating one (or both) of them would have Payton’s odds shoot up.
Super Bowl: Steelers (+2400)
If the Chiefs are indeed vulnerable in the AFC, why can’t the Steelers be a team that gets all the way to the Big Game, with a shot to win it? Russell Wilson has been to two Super Bowls and has been a perfect fit in Pittsburgh, with ability on play-action and deep balls that meshes well with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, George Pickens, and company. And the Steelers defense has plenty of playmakers to catch fire and make gamebreaking plays while going on a deep playoff run. Mike Tomlin’s squad has been discounted all season, and it’s no different for their odds to win it all.