The 2024 NFL season has been a total roller coaster so far, with so many underdogs winning outright, and performances from players that we never would have suspected before the season began. Honestly, how many of you expected Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to be 4-0 to start the season and climb up the oddsboard for NFL MVP? I would venture to say that it would be close to zero expected, but that is where we sit right now in this wacky season, with plenty more twists and turns to come. While Darnold isn’t the favorite to win the NFL MVP right now, he is the new favorite for another prominent award in the NFL.
Right now over at BetMGM, Darnold has taken the lead in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year sweepstakes, surpassing Aaron Rodgers on the oddsboard at +175. Rodgers has been the favorite for the entire season, which made sense considering he is coming off a torn ACL that sidelined him all of last year, and the fact that he is a future first-ballot Hall of Fame signal-caller. However, the Jets have largely been a disappointment so far, sitting at 2-2 on the season after they suffered an embarrassing loss to the Denver Broncos at home.
Meanwhile, Darnold has just been cruising right along with his new team, sitting atop of the NFC North after the first four weeks and one of only two undefeated teams left in the league. He has been fantastic so far this season, passing for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns, compared to just three interceptions. His 73.5 QBR is ranked third in the league, so he has been a top five QB so far this season, which I don’t think anyone thought was possible.
Darnold was drafted No. 3 overall by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC. He could not find success with New York, and after one miserable game he had, was quoted as saying he was “seeing ghosts” out on the field. That went viral all over social media, and his career with the Jets was over soon after. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers, and much like his time in New York, that didn’t work out so well for him either. He became the backup in San Francisco for the 49ers soon after, and this past offseason, signed with the Vikings to be their “fill-in” QB while rookie J.J. McCarthy sat and learned.
It is safe to say that, so far, Darnold has exceeded all expectations. If he keeps playing like this, he could be the Vikings QB of the future, and not the now-injured McCarthy. A lot of people think he is a lot older than he is. Darnold is only 27 years old, and is just now entering his prime. He has a whole career in front of him if he can make it work.
According to BetMGM, 10.3 percent of the tickets and 12.8 percent of the handle are on Darnold to win the award right now. A serious influx of wagers have come in over the last week, which makes sense. The question will be if he can continue to play at this high-level, or will he regress a bit as the season goes forward?
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