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Tua Tagovailoa and Patrick Mahomes are the co-favorites to win NFL MVP, but Mahomes probably doesn't deserve it. Imagine saying that sentence a few months ago.
Nothing against Mahomes, the greatest quarterback of the post-Tom Brady generation and perhaps many other generations. But if anyone is voting for Mahomes now — and in fairness, nobody votes now, when there are 12 weeks to go in the season — it would be based more on his reputation than his play this season.
The BetMGM odds have the two quarterbacks even through six weeks:
Mahomes hasn't been bad this season. He has been very good. But he hasn't been as good as Tagovailoa — or maybe a handful of other players, either.
Comparing Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa
Let's start by comparing Mahomes and Tagovailoa, the co-favorites:
Tagovailoa: 1,876 yards, 71.1 completion percentage, 9.5 yards per attempt, 14 TD, 5 INT, 114.1 passer rating
Mahomes: 1,593 yards, 68.3 completion percentage, 7.1 yards per attempt, 11 TD, 5 INT, 95.7 passer rating
That doesn't look equal. And if we're judging by quarterback wins, Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs and Tagovailoa's Miami Dolphins are both 5-1. There's only one great reason Mahomes would be considered even with Tagovailoa at this point, and it's due to what we thought of Mahomes and Tagovailoa before the season started, not what they've actually done this season.
Tagovailoa has better receivers, but having a worse supporting cast never seems to be a criteria for MVP. Mahomes' numbers are well down from last season, when he won MVP and deserved it. There's still plenty of time for Mahomes to catch up this season, but he does need to catch up. And probably not just to Tagovailoa.
Who are the other MVP candidates?
There will be separation in the race as the season goes on, but there are some interesting candidates emerging. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has bubbled up in the conversation. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was briefly the favorite this season after a win over the Dolphins, and he'll stay in the race. Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has an interesting case brewing, especially if the Lions can get one of the top seeds in the NFC.
It would be a great season for a non-quarterback to get some consideration, as unlikely as that is. Christian McCaffrey has scored in every game and is having a great season. Tyreek Hill has been incredible for the Dolphins, though a wide receiver has never won MVP. If Jerry Rice never won an MVP, Hill likely won't, either.
Mahomes hasn't been on an MVP level this season. His passer rating is lower than those of Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson and C.J. Stroud. Goff has more passing yards. Justin Fields has as many passing touchdowns. Numbers don't always tell the whole story, but we can see that Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense aren't playing at their normal level through six weeks.
Mahomes has a great reputation and deserves it after an unprecedented start to his career. But this season? He shouldn't be in MVP consideration — not yet, anyway.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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