NFL MVP odds: Here comes Matthew Stafford

Let’s take a look at the odds before digging deeper.

NFL MVP odds

Stafford opened at +5000 odds, or 50-to-1, implying a less than 2 percent likelihood of winning. That put him 17th on the board. He’s now fourth with a near 17 percent likelihood, behind Allen, Mahomes and last week’s big riser, Drake Maye. Stafford was in fourth last week at +1100, but his performance in Week 9 was good enough to slash those odds roughly in half, though without moving ahead of Maye, who sits at +450.

How is he doing it? The Athletic’s another big riser in the MVP odds. Darnold is suddenly in the top 10 on the odds board as the Seahawks press their status as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. In the Seahawks’ Week 9 win over the Commanders, Darnold went 21-of-24 for 330 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

In tenth, right under Darnold, is perhaps the most athletic climber of them all: Lamar Jackson (+3000). With his return from injury, Jackson went 18-of-23 for 204 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s still a long shot, but expect him to keep rising if the Baltimore Ravens continue to win (which they need to do for a playoff spot). Before his return, his odds had stretched to as long as +10000 (100-to-1), so 30-to-1 is quite the improvement.

Watch out for Jackson.