2018-19 NFL MVP: Winner Prediction and Complete Odds for Top Candidates

Two quarterbacks who helped their respective teams earn home-field advantage in the NFL playoffs are the favorites to win Most Valuable Player. 

Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and New Orleans' Drew Brees had fantastic seasons in the pocket, and although they're at different points of their careers, both are in the hunt for their first MVP honor.

Brees has won everything imaginable since entering the NFL in 2001 out of Purdue. In total he has earned Super Bowl XLIV MVP, 11 Pro Bowl selections, two Offensive Player of the Year awards and one First-Team All-Pro nod. 

In just his first year as a starting quarterback, Mahomes joined the upper echelon of NFL stars and set the foundation for a career that he hopes can mirror what Brees and other top quarterbacks in the league have put together. 

While Brees is the sentimental favorite to capture the MVP, Mahomes appears to be in line to capture the honor. 

Regardless of who wins the MVP, it'll be the sixth year in a row and 11th time in the last 12 years that a quarterback takes home the honor.

NFL MVP Candidates

Odds as of December 27 via OddsShark.

Patrick Mahomes (-250; Bet $250 to win $100)

Mahomes' inaugural season under center produced remarkable numbers that not even the coaching staff might have expected. 

The second-year quarterback made an immediate impact on the gridiron, as he threw for 13 touchdowns in his first three contests against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. 

Mahomes slowed down in Weeks 4 and 5, but then he escalated his scoring pace by tossing multiple touchdown passes in his last 11 games. 

While he may not have thrown for two or more scores in every game, Mahomes was consistent when it came to passing yards, as he reached over 240 yards in each of his 16 contests.

Mahomes also didn't show any fear when going up against some of the best teams in the league, as he challenged Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on the road in Week 6 and went head-to-head with the Los Angeles Rams in one of the best games of 2018 in Week 11.

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

In the three-point loss to the Rams, Mahomes recorded season and career highs of 478 passing yards and six touchdowns. 

Mahomes landed at, or near, the top of most passing categories, as he finished first in touchdown passes, second in passing yards, passer rating, yards per game and yards per attempt. 

While he is the favorite because of those impressive numbers, the door is open for Brees to take some first-place votes since the experienced pro put his name above or close to Mahomes in most of those categories. 

Drew Brees (+170; Bet $100 to win $170) 

The case for Brees starts with the results the Saints put up as a team and categories he led the NFL in. 

New Orleans tied the Rams for the best regular-season record in the NFL at 13-3, and thanks to the Week 9 win over Sean McVay's team, Brees and Co. earned home-field advantage in the NFC. 

On an individual level, Brees led the league with seven game-winning drives, a 74.4 percent pass completion rate and a 115.7 passer rating. 

Few signal-callers came close to matching Brees' accuracy, as Minnesota's Kirk Cousins was the only other player with a completion percentage over 70 percent. 

Although he was eight yards short of 4,000 through the air, Brees tied for sixth in passing touchdowns with 32 and was picked off only five times. 

However, the case against Brees might be too much for him to overcome when compared to Mahomes. 

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

In his last four games, Brees threw as many touchdowns as he did interceptions and averaged 214.3 passing yards. 

Because the Saints offense sputtered during their three-game road stretch against Dallas, Tampa Bay and Carolina, voters will be reluctant to place Brees over Mahomes. 

In his final act of the regular season, Brees looked more like himself with 326 passing yards against the Steelers, but that performance restored faith in the New Orleans offense more than it asserted his dominance in the MVP race.

Brees should receive some first-place votes for guiding the Saints to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but his overall statistical body of work won't be enough to eclipse Mahomes.

Prediction: Mahomes beats out Brees for MVP. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference