A wild and entertaining month of NFL action is in the books, and some surprises have come up with “system QB” Brock Purdy.
The first four weeks of the campaign have produced plenty of unexpected results. For further confirmation, we need to look no further than NFL passing yard odds and the race at the top of the leaderboard.
Heading into the season, Patrick Mahomes was the clear favorite to take the crown. As we head into NFL Week 5 games, Geno Smith and Brock Purdy lead the league in passing yards so far.
Smith, Purdy lead the league after first month of action
On Monday night, the Seahawks dropped a 42-29 road decision to the Lions. Smith threw for 395 yards, overtaking Purdy for the season-long lead.
Through four weeks, Smith has thrown for 1,182 yards, an average of 295.5 yards per game. Last season, he finished 16th in the league with 3,624 yards.
Purdy holds down second place with 1,130 passing yards, an average of 282.5 per game. He finished fifth last season with 4,280.
In terms of odds, Dak Prescott (+425) is the favorite to take the season-long crown, followed by C.J. Stroud (+475). Prescott is third with 1,072 yards so far, and Stroud is fourth with 1,054.
Purdy (+500) and Smith (+550) are third and fourth in the latest odds. As the tightness of the lines suggests, this race is just getting started.
Preseason favorite Mahomes falls after slow start
In preseason betting odds, Mahomes was the favorite to win at odds of +500. Purdy was 12th on the board at +2500, with Smith in a tie for 19th at +4000.
Mahomes remains the favorite in NFL MVP odds, but he’s off to a slow statistical start for the 4-0 Chiefs. He’s currently 11th in the league with 904 passing yards, averaging 226 yards per game.
Last season, he finished sixth in the league at 4,163. Tua Tagovailoa, last season’s season-long leader with 4,624 yards, is on injured reserve after suffering a concussion in a Week 2 loss to the Bills.
