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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's how and why Brock Purdy might win an NFL MVP award this season
NFL MVP doesn't necessarily go to the best player. It didn't last year. There are certain factors that make predicting NFL MVP easier. It's very likely going to a quarterback, as it has each of the last 12 years. It will go to a player whose team makes the postseason; only twice has MVP gone to a player from a non-playoff team and it hasn't happened since 1973. So if you're really good at predicting who will make the playoffs, you can reasonably cut the field down to 14 players before Week 1 ever kicks off. Advertisement Because the award doesn't necessarily go to the best player, other factors are involved. Voters in all sports like to spread the award around to new winners. Narratives come into play. A good story, especially late in the season, can make the difference. And long before the season starts, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy checks a lot of those boxes. Brock Purdy's odds for MVP Purdy is not one of the favorites to win MVP at this point in the offseason. His odds to win are 28-to-1 at BetMGM, which ranks him 10th on the list. Lamar Jackson is the favorite at +600 and Josh Allen is right behind him at +650, which is understandable. Those two regularly put up monster numbers for very good teams. Advertisement But both have won an MVP. Jackson has won two, and that probably was a factor in him not beating Allen for MVP last season. Maybe someone new will win this season. Don't forget that Purdy almost won MVP a couple seasons ago. He seemed to have a slight lead over the field late in the 2023 season when the 49ers were rolling and he was putting up good numbers. But the Ravens came to California for a high profile Week 16 Monday night game late in the season, Jackson outplayed Purdy in a major way, Baltimore blew out San Francisco and that was the end of the MVP race. But Purdy was in position to win once already and it wasn't long ago. There's a path for Purdy to get back in that position late this season. Brock Purdy signed a five-year, $265 million deal with the 49ers this offseason. (Photo by) (Christian Petersen via Getty Images) 49ers have an easy schedule The first obstacle for Purdy, oddly enough, might be the 49ers making the playoffs. San Francisco has been one of the best teams in the NFL over the past few seasons, but it missed the playoffs last season. The 49ers went 6-11. However, oddsmakers aren't worried about the 49ers. They have a win total of 10.5, one of the largest in the NFL. Advertisement One of the biggest reasons for optimism is the 49ers have an advantageous schedule. The 49ers' schedule isn't just the easiest in the NFL this season, according to Sharp Football Analysis (which uses opponents win totals to project schedule strength, it's the easiest by a wide margin. That not only helps the 49ers in their quest to get back to the playoffs, it will probably help Purdy's numbers. Mostly MVP races are decided late in the season, and Purdy has an incredibly soft final stretch to the season. There's not one game the 49ers can't win over the last eight weeks, and they don't face a single defense that should scare anyone. Even better for Purdy, three of the games are in prime time. Nobody's MVP case has ever been hurt by winning games on Sunday or Monday night late in the season: Week 11: at Cardinals Week 12: vs. Panthers (Monday night) Week 13: at Browns Week 14: bye Week 15: vs. Titans Week 16: at Colts (Monday night) Week 17: vs. Bears (Sunday night) Week 18: vs. Seahawks If Purdy plays well down the stretch and the 49ers make the playoffs, the narrative part will come along too. The 49ers have lost some talent, and the newly-paid Purdy would be credited for carrying a lesser supporting cast into the playoffs. He'll put up good numbers, as he always does in Kyle Shanahan's offense. And he doesn't need to be a better player than Jackson, Allen or anyone else above him in the list. MVP doesn't necessarily go to the best player. We've seen that. Purdy could finish the season with the numbers, team success, narrative and newness on his side. That would have him in the MVP discussion. That's all you could ever ask from a 28-to-1 shot.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Analyst Details How NFL Put Raiders at Major Scheduling Disadvantage in 2025
The NFL schedule has not been kind to the Las Vegas Raiders in recent years. Whether the team is facing tough opponents on short weeks, the Chiefs after their bye every year, or the Harbaugh brothers in back-to-back road games to begin the season, the Raiders also get the short end of the stick from the NFL. However, upon initial review, it seemed like the Silver and Black actually landed a favorable schedule for the 2025 season. Part of that is a lucky draw with the rotating opponents, but another aspect was that the team had no long road stretches or brutal back-to-backs. Las Vegas Raiders HC Pete Rassol-Imagn Images However, upon further analysis, the Raiders got royally screwed in 2025 once again. According to Sharp Football Analysis, Las Vegas actually has one of the worst schedules in the league because of their massive rest disadvantage. Advertisement The Raiders only play one game all season where they have an edge over their opponent in terms of rest, and all told, they will have 19 days fewer of rest than their opponents this year. For six matchups currently on their schedule, their opponent will get more rest than they will. Even when the schedule should line up for a Las Vegas rest advantage, the NFL chose not to give it to them. The team will have an 11-day rest between Weeks 10 and 11 because they play on Thursday and Monday during those weeks. However, the Cowboys have a bye in Week 10 before heading to Las Vegas, so even this mini-bye does not grant them an advantage. Fortunately, the team's strength of schedule is not too brutal and they are massively improved with head coach Pete Carroll, quarterback Geno Smith and running back Ashton Jeanty. However, this does not mean that this disadvantage will not be a steep hill to climb. Related: Chip Kelly Already Pushing Ashton Jeanty to Make Notable Change
USA Today
18-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
The Lions lead league in net rest advantage for the 2025 season
The Lions lead league in net rest advantage for the 2025 season When a team and its players find out their schedule for the season, they look at what order they're playing their opponents, but some go immediately to items such as when their bye week is and maybe dig deeper to find out how much rest advantage they may have over other teams. For the Detroit Lions, fate worked out in their favor this season as they led the league this season in net rest advantage, per Sharp Football Analysis, which factors in how many extra days of rest a team has heading into their next opponent and week. The Lions will have a net advantage of 13 days of rest compared to their opponents this season and will play eight games in which they'll have extra rest versus just one game in which they'll have a rest disadvantage (Week 4 vs. Browns, Lions coming off Monday game Week 3 against the Ravens). The Lions will play five games against teams coming off a Monday game: Week 2 vs. Bears Week 5 at Bengals Week 6 at Chiefs Week 11 at Eagles Week 16 vs. Steelers In addition, the Lions play three games in which they're either coming off their bye (Week 9 vs. Vikings) or coming off a mini-bye after playing a Thursday game the week prior (Week 15 at Rams, Week 18 at Bears). The Lions have a gauntlet of a schedule, but having even just a little extra rest before some of these games could make a world of difference.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Falcons schedule 2025: Atlanta win-loss record predictions
Falcons schedule 2025: Atlanta win-loss record predictions Show Caption Hide Caption Best NFC 2025 NFL Draft picks USA TODAY's Tyler Dragon breaks down which teams in the NFC drafted the best this year. Sports Seriously The Atlanta Falcons were expected to make a playoff push in 2024 after signing Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract in free agency. Cousins' tenure in Atlanta got off to a strong start before a midseason slump caused the veteran quarterback to fall out of favor. He was benched in Week 16 after a 1-4 stretch during which he completed 62.7% of his passes for 1,180 yards, one touchdown and a whopping nine interceptions. That allowed Michael Penix Jr. – who the Falcons surprisingly selected eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft despite signing Cousins – to take over. The Washington product flashed enough in the final three weeks of the season to convince Atlanta to make him its starter for the 2025 season. Cousins presently remains with the Falcons. He will be lurking behind Penix in case the 25-year-old quarterback slips up. Meanwhile, Atlanta is hoping the plethora of weapons surrounding Penix, along with the team's defensive roster improvements, will allow the team to field a strong roster that challenges for an NFC South title in 2025. USA TODAY Sports is predicting Atlanta's record as the 2025 NFL schedule release approaches. Buy Falcons tickets for the 2025 season Falcons record prediction 2025 Record prediction: 9-8 The Falcons haven't made the playoffs since the 2017 season when Dan Quinn was their coach and Matt Ryan was the starting quarterback. Atlanta may be poised to break that streak in 2025. The Falcons are playing in the NFC South, which once again profiles as one of the easiest divisions in the NFL. That's part of the reason Atlanta has the fourth-easiest strength of schedule for the 2025 NFL season, per Sharp Football Analysis. Atlanta posted a 4-2 record against the division last season, including two wins over the division-winning Buccaneers. If the Falcons can continue to play well against the Buccaneers, their strong divisional performance should continue. Atlanta's non-divisional schedule is a bit more difficult. That said, winnable home matchups against the Dolphins and Seahawks and favorable road tilts against the Colts and Jets could provide the Falcons all they need to post a winning record this season. Much of the Falcons' success will depend on whether their defense can take a step forward. They ranked second-to-last in sacks last season (31) and 28th in defensive EPA. Atlanta spent two first-round picks on Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. to fix its pass rush, which has been a long-term issue. Will that be enough to help the Falcons win the NFC South? The Buccaneers are still favored to win the division, but it should once again be a tight race between the division's two top teams. Falcons opponents 2025 Below is a full list of Atlanta's opponents for the upcoming season. Home Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Washington Commanders Road
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jacksonville Jaguars schedule: Games, dates, TV channels, predictions for 2025 season
Jacksonville Jaguars schedule: Games, dates, TV channels, predictions for 2025 season Show Caption Hide Caption Jaguars select Travis Hunter No. 2 overall, here's what they'll get Travis Hunter captivated the college football world with his two-way abilities and now the Jaguars are ready to see what he can do in the NFL Sports Pulse Jacksonville's quest for an NFL team began nearly 46 years ago on an August night in 1979. Over 50,000 people packed the Gator Bowl in an attempt to charm Robert Irsay to move his Baltimore Colts to the city in northern Florida. As the story goes, the Colts would eventually end up in Indianapolis, but Jacksonville left a lasting impression on the league. The organization "Touchdown Jacksonville" produced a video as part of their bid to lure a franchise, calling it a "City of Dreams." In 1993, the city was awarded a team that began play in 1995 – the Jacksonville Jaguars. A naming contest ensued from the organization, which also considered names like the Stingrays and Sharks before settling on the Jaguars, which flowed nicely. Fast forward all these years later and the Jaguars have cemented themselves in Jacksonville, hoping to kickstart a new era in 2025. Trevor Lawrence appears to be the quarterback for years to come, though it's a big year in his development. Travis Hunter is now the marquee star, looking to play both sides of the ball and Liam Coen hopes to guide the team in the right direction as the new head coach. Jacksonville coveted this team. Rumors have swirled for years about their future while the organization remains enamored with playing in London. The good news is, success can put all that to rest. That's what the Jaguars are after in 2025. Here's a look at their regular season schedule. Buy Jacksonville Jaguars tickets for the 2025 season Jacksonville Jaguars schedule 2025 This section will be updated when the NFL schedule is released on Wednesday, May 14. Week 1 : : Week 2 : : Week 3 : : Week 4 : : Week 5 : : Week 6 : : Week 7 : : Week 8 : : Week 9 : : Week 10 : : Week 11 : : Week 12 : : Week 13 : : Week 14 : : Week 15 : : Week 16 : : Week 17 : : Week 18: Jaguars record prediction 2025 Record prediction: 8-9 Fresh off a 4-13 season, Coen has his work cut out for him in Jacksonville. However, he'll be getting Lawrence back from injury and also have the luxury of some new weapons on offense to work with. That alone should be result in plenty of improvement. With the sixth-easiest schedule in 2025, per Sharp Football Analysis, can the Jaguars take advantage of a weak AFC South and get back to the playoffs? Let's pump the brakes a little on that. Jacksonville can easily be a sneaky playoff contender in 2025, but Coen might have some growing pains in the big chair. He's bounced back-and-forth between college and the pros over the last few seasons. He notably comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree and did a remarkable job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. However, Coen opted to build a staff that doesn't come with a lot of experience. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile are both holding those key roles for the first time in the NFL. A lot has to go right for a postseason appearance in Jacksonville. They appear to be on the right track and will win some more games thanks to an improved, healthy roster. The playoffs will have to wait for another year though. Jaguars opponents 2025 Below is a full list of Jacksonville's opponents for the upcoming season. Home Indianapolis Colts Houston Texans Tennessee Titans Kansas City Chiefs LA Chargers LA Rams Seattle Seahawks New York Jets Carolina Panthers Road
