The Post’s Dylan Svoboda takes a look at this week’s betting trends and storylines.
A runaway MVP candidate
The NFL MVP award is Matthew Stafford’s to lose.
The Rams quarterback is now -220 (FanDuel Sportsbook) to win the award after his team improved to 9-2 with a win over the Buccaneers on Sunday night.
Stafford has a ridiculous 30 touchdowns with only two interceptions this season.
The 37-year-old has received MVP votes in just one season during his 17-year NFL career, but it appears he’s finally likely to bring home some hardware.
A historic pass catching season
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on another level.
After another dominant performance on Sunday against the Titans, Smith-Njigba is now -190 to break the single-season receiving yard record of 1,964 yards, which was set by Calvin Johnson in 2012.
With six games to go, the Seahawks wide receiver has 1,313 yards through the air, putting well on-pace to break the record.
Smith-Njigba had his biggest game of the year in Week 12, going for a season-high 167 receiving yards with two touchdowns.
A wide open AFC
Oddsmakers have no idea which team is coming out of the AFC.
Two-thirds of the way through the season, six different teams have odds between +480 and +550 to win the conference, leaving the AFC as wide open as it’s been in recent history.
Upstart teams like the Colts, Patriots and Broncos are in the mix, but bettors and sportsbooks alike may not be totally convinced they are true contenders.
Meanwhile, traditional contenders like the Bills, Chiefs and Ravens have underwhelmed so far.
Betting on the NFL?
The unconvincing Bears
Despite being tied for the 2nd-best record in the NFC, oddsmakers aren’t quite sold on the Bears.
Leading the division by a half-game over the Packers and a full game over the Lions, Chicago has the 3rd-best odds (+260) to win the NFC North.
Vegas bookies aren’t even entirely sure they’ll make the postseason, pegging them at -172 to earn their first playoff berth since 2020, which are the 6th-best odds in the NFC.
The Bears have a tough schedule through the rest of the season with matchups against the Eagles, 49ers, Lions and two contests against the Packers left to go.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
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