A new contender for NFL MVP has joined the fray, and – spoiler alert – he is not a quarterback.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley heard MVP chants during his ‘Sunday Night Football’ performance in Week 12. Those well-traveling Eagles fans (the win over the Rams was in Los Angeles) may have had a point.
After a night that included career highs in rushing yards (255) and yards from scrimmage (302), Barkley now leads the league in rush attempts, rushing yards, yards per carry, touches and yards from scrimmage. The only major rushing category in which he doesn’t hold the lead is rushing touchdowns, where he is tied for fourth with 10 so far.
Barkley’s career night significantly boosted his odds to win the NFL MVP award. Where does he fall now among all top contenders in latest MVP odds?
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NFL MVP power rankings
Here’s how the NFL MVP odds look after the full Sunday slate in Week 12, according to BetMGM:
5. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs: +1000
Mahomes and the Chiefs yet again narrowly avoided defeat on Sunday as the Carolina Panthers made things interesting late. All it took was another game-winning drive from the two-time MVP which, naturally, included a 33-yard scramble to put his team in field goal range.
The star quarterback finished the day 27-of-37 for 269 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
4. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions: +700
One of the NFL’s most accurate passers this season is next up on the power rankings. Goff and the Lions took care of business on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, winning 24-6 on the road to match the Chiefs’ 10-1 record.
The starting quarterback leads the league with his nine yards per pass attempt and is tied with Mahomes for the league lead in fourth-quarter comebacks, with three. Following a 26-of-36 (72.2% completion rate) day on Sunday, Goff’s completion rate on the season actually went down. He’s now behind only Tua Tagovailoa (seven games) for the league lead in that category.
3. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles: +650
Barkley has become a near-lock for Offensive Player of the Year with his recent performances, but an MVP award is also in sight after what he did to the Rams on Sunday night.
The star running back rushed for 255 yards and had two touchdowns longer than 70 yards. He caught four passes for 47 yards, giving him a total of 302 scrimmage yards on the night.
Barkley is now up to 1,392 yards (leads league) on 223 carries (leads league), averaging 6.2 yards per carry (leads league). His play over the first 11 games of the season has breathed life into an Eagles team that needed it after last year’s late-season spiral, and now his impact has been reflected in the latest MVP odds.
2. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens: +220
The Ravens haven’t yet played their Week 12 game at the time of writing, with a ‘Monday Night Football’ clash with the Los Angeles Chargers looming. But what Jackson has already accomplished this season has been impressive.
The reigning MVP already has four games with at least three passing touchdowns, including a five-touchdown day in late October against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jackson also has two games with more than 300 passing yards and five games with 50 or more rushing yards. Against the Chiefs in Week 1, he threw for 273 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 122 yards.
Jackson’s last performance against the Steelers was bad on paper, but the poor numbers were mostly exacerbated by bad drops and penalty woes. His upcoming game against the Chargers will be a chance to prove that last week was an anomaly.
1. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills: +150
Allen has led his team to a 9-2 record, including the only win any team has against the Chiefs this year. While the Bills quarterback doesn’t lead the league in any one statistic, his influence in Buffalo’s nine wins is tangible.
Most recently, Allen’s 26-yard touchdown scramble on fourth-and-2 – which included several broken tackles – was what gave the Bills a two-possession lead late in the game against Kansas City.
Allen has finished in the top-5 of MVP voting three times, but his 2024 season so far is giving him a great shot at finally taking home the award.
