NFL MVP Odds Undergo Major Shakeup Amidst Josh Allen Injury and Bills Upset Loss

Like Josh Allen in the picture above, the NFL MVP odds were flipped on their head following a wild Week 9. The award now appears to be a three-man race with the former leader now trying to mount a stronger comeback than the one he tried to muster this past week.

Allen entered Week 9 as a near outright favorite to win NFL MVP (his odds were around +125 at most books like week), but after laying a dud and injuring his elbow against the Jets in an upset loss, the Bills QB has been overtaken by Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the MVP odds at most books.

This makes sense. Not only did Allen lay a dud against the Jets (he was picked off twice and didn't throw a TD in a 20-17 loss), but he also hurt his elbow. While the injury isn't expected to sideline him, it certainly could play a role in his performance.

As of now, Allen remains the favorite, but only slightly at BetMGM Sportsbook:

Meanwhile, Hurts and Mahomes both won in Week 9. Neither was dominant, or at least as dominant as they have been in other games this season, but Mahomes threw for over 400 passing yards and Hurts put together another near-flawless performance for the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL.

Looking at the overall stats, Mahomes leads the NFL in passing yards (2,605) and TD passes (21) and is second in QBR. Allen is fourth in passing yards (2,403) and second in TD passes (19), but he also has 392 rushing yards and 4 rushing TDs to Mahomes' 176 and 1, respectively. Hurts trails in passing yards (2,042), passing TDs (12) and rushing yards (329), but has 6 rushing TDs and his team is undefeated.

Like it or not, that last stat may be the most important. Since 2012, the quarterback of the team with the best record or tied for the best record in their conference won the award eight times. In this instance, Mahomes/Allen and Hurts could all claim that honor, but if the Eagles go 14-3 or better and Hurts keeps playing at this level, it's going to be hard to deny him the award.

Ultimately, this award is very much up for grabs amongst the three aforementioned quarterbacks. It's one of the reasons different books have different odds and different favorites.

Regardless, Allen has lost his grip on MVP frontrunner status and he'll need to now mount the kind of comeback he couldn't against the Jets.

Game and futures odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.