NFL MVP Race Now Led by Lamar Jackson

The Kansas City Chiefs won again on Sunday, and they are the only team in the NFL without a loss. Patrick Mahomes sealed the deal with a 33-yard run where he juked and pump faked two linebackers. But the next day, the Baltimore Ravens also won, and they did it on the back of five touchdown passes from Lamar Jackson.

No surprise that after yet another incredible performance from the defending MVP, he is now the betting favorite to win the award again.

Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens (+225)

Tom Brady topped out at three MVP awards. Brett Favre had three. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is now favored this season to win his third MVP, paying +225.

Even in Baltimore’s two losses to begin the season, Jackson was good. In Week 1, he had 395 total yards of offense, and the next week, he finished with 292 yards. He leads the NFL in quarterback rushing yards, his last three passing yards totals are 348, 323, and 281, and he has 15 touchdown passes to just two interceptions.

Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, and Joe Montana are the only back-to-back MVP winners, and at this rate, Jackson is going to add his name to that list.

Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs (+450)

Mahomes started the season as the MVP favorite, and the Chiefs haven’t lost, so bettors have been reluctant to jump off the two-time MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP.

Mahomes has not been MVP worthy for most of the season. He still has the ability to will the Chiefs to victory, and no one is better at finding a way to win. But his eight interceptions, even with half of them not being his fault, are too many for him to be a serious MVP contender. 

The Chiefs have one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL, but it’s near the bottom in explosive plays, and that’s not how you win an MVP award.

Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills (+500)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen can be just as dominant as Lamar Jackson. The problem is he can also disappear for stretches. He did that against the Houston Texans, and this last week against the Tennessee Titans, he was a no-show for the first half. He saved the game with an incredible second half, but he needs to be more consistent if he’s going to win his first MVP.

Allen still has upcoming head-to-head matchups with Mahomes, Jared Goff, and Aaron Rodgers, and if he can outshine each of those quarterbacks, he will win himself some MVP votes.

Jared Goff – Detroit Lions (+850)

Finally cracking the top-five on the MVP betting board is Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

Goff has never received a vote for MVP, but he is going to be hard for voters to ignore this year. He hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 3, and in his last four games, he has just 15 incomplete passes to 76 completions. He led the Lions to blowout wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, and he’s coming off the big win over the Minnesota Vikings that put the Lions in first place.

Jordan Love – Green Bay Packers (+1300)

There were real fears after the Green Packers loss in Brazil in Week 1 that their season was over because Jordan Love’s season was over.

Instead, he missed only two games with what turned out to be a knee ligament sprain and not a knee ligament tear, and he and the Packers are once again a force to be reckoned with in the NFC. Love’s interceptions are up – he’s thrown seven in the four games since his return – but his touchdown passes are also up. In the last four games, Love has thrown 13 touchdown passes, and the Packers have now won three games in a row.

C.J. Stroud – Houston Texans (+1300)

The most recent of those Packers wins came at the expense of the Houston Texans, and the loss largely falls on the shoulders of Texas quarterback C. J. Stroud. He finished the game 10-of-21 for just 86 yards and no touchdowns. That is the lowest passing yards total of Stroud’s young career.

He doesn’t get dinged too hard by the bad performance because he has also had some incredible performances, like the 331 yards in Houston’s win over the Bills and his 345 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Houston is 5-2 and in first place, and as long as they keep marching to the playoffs, Stroud will be in the MVP conversation.

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