The Los Angeles Chargers' dismal start to the 2026 season continued Sunday with a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders that all but convinced the masses they're done. If they couldn't get a win in games against the Cardinals and Raiders, what are they supposed to do with the NFL's toughest remaining schedule?
Nothing. That's the answer from oddsmakers at BetMGM who lengthened the Chargers' odds to make the playoffs to +260, a far cry from the -160 odds LA had entering the season. Their decline is reflected even more in odds to win the AFC, where the Chargers dipped from fourth-best entering the season (+800) to ninth (+2500).
The Chargers' fall has coincided with a rise for the Raiders, who are now +240 to make the playoffs. Slightly better than the Chargers and
a good jump from where the Raiders started at +550. Vegas' win over the Chargers to move to 2-0 also strengthened Kirk Cousins as the team's starter, which hurt Fernando Mendoza's odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. He took a dive from +550 post-preseason to +1300 today, trailing five other rookies.
Offensive Rookie of the Year odds
- Jeremiyah Love +350
- Jadarian Price +600
- Carnell Tate +700
- Denzel Boston +800
- KC Concepcion +1000
Caleb Williams' hamstring injury dooms Bears
Caleb Williams and the Bears led last week's futures report after their 59-point outing sent excitement around Chicago through the roof. Now, I'm following up with Williams' unfortunate injury -- and Chicago's loss to the Vikings -- having an opposite effect.
Even after Tom Pelissero's report that Williams may be able to play next week, the Bears' odds to win the NFC North are now last at +500, falling from second-best last week. Their chances to make the playoffs went from likely at -150 to unlikely at +155.
Bears QB Caleb Williams avoided any major injury to his hamstring Sunday, tests confirmed today — and the team isn’t even ruling him out for next Monday’s game against the Eagles, sources tell @ringer @netflixsports.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 21, 2026
A massive sigh of relief in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/mfCT5x0JWR
Williams' injury also impacted award races, where his top-three odds to win MVP have been taken off the board completely. Bears head coach Ben Johnson's top-three odds to win Coach of the Year dipped from +800 to +1800, behind seven other names.
MVP odds
- Josh Allen +250
- Patrick Mahomes +800
- Joe Burrow +850
- Lamar Jackson +850
- Brock Purdy +900
Patrick Mahomes pulling away as Comeback Player of the Year
After another prime-time win for the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts, it's no longer a question of whether Mahomes is all the way back. He was already the favorite to win Comeback Player of the Year at +185 entering the season, but he's now a prohibitive favorite at -300 odds.
Patrick Mahomes completed 32 of 47 passes for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Chiefs' Week 2 win, recording a career-high 14 completions on play-action passes.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 21, 2026
He totaled 137 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 play-action attempts.#INDvsKC | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/DiYyyXrqV3
The Chiefs are 2-0 and Mahomes should only get better as the season goes. The only player who might have a chance to catch him is Aaron Donald (+800) in his return from retirement, which begins tonight against the Giants.
Ravens blown lead shakes up two divisions
The Baltimore Ravens' blown double-digit lead and disappointing home loss to the New Orleans Saints shook up the division odds for both teams. In the AFC North, the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals are now +105 favorites to win the division, jumping ahead of the Ravens (+115) who had been odds-on favorites through last week.
In the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints are now the favorites at +125, even ahead of the defending champion Carolina Panthers (+300) who have a similar 1-1 record. In fact, even at 0-2 with a loss to the Browns, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+260) are still ahead of Carolina.
Bijan Robinson disappears in the Offensive Player of the Year race
Injuries to their top two quarterbacks have doomed the Atlanta Falcons to begin the season, and nobody has felt the effects of that more than Bijan Robinson, who's facing a loaded box every time he touches the ball. He still has a respectable 155 rushing yards and 99 receiving yards through two games with Cooper Rush under center, but oddsmakers apparently think he's fallen too far behind in the Offensive Player of the Year race. Robinson's odds dropped from second-best just last week at +800 to eighth at +1800.
- Jahmyr Gibbs +500
- Kenneth Walker III +900
- Jaxon Smith Njigba +1000
- Ja'Marr Chase +1300
- Derrick Henry +1400
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Chargers losing favor of oddsmakers after dismal 0-2 start: NFL Futures Report
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