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Barry Sanders has officially thrown his hat into the ring. The former NFL MVP is offering up his take on deciding this year's award. There are several worthy quarterbacks, and Sanders could see another co-MVP like he won with Brett Favre.
He stated that there's no way it won't go to a quarterback, but that Christian McCaffrey should be the co-MVP to whoever that ends up being since he's been so good. It might just happen if things pan out a certain way this season.
Lamar Jackson's masterful display on Monday Night Football might have given him a massive leg up in the MVP race. The QB was excellent, while his counterpart struggled tremendously and Christian McCaffrey could only do so much. It was a perfect effort to redefine himself as the best candidate moving forward. Do the odds reflect that?
Updated NFL MVP 2023 odds for Week 17
Right now, Lamar Jackson is the odds-on favorite to win the MVP. That can change, as he was not the favorite last week at this time. As it stands, these are the odds via Vegas Insider:
- Lamar Jackson -175
- Christian McCaffrey +375
- Brock Purdy +900
- Tua Tagovailoa +1200
- Josh Allen +1600
- Dak Prescott +2200
- Tyreek Hill +2500
Right now, Jackson leads, but Christian McCaffrey is right on his tail. Last week's favorite, Brock Purdy, took a huge tumble down to +900 for the year. A four-interception showing will do that.
Lamar Jackson NFL MVP odds: Making the case for Ravens QB
Lamar Jackson has been clinical this year, boasting a 19 to seven touchdown to interception ratio while adding five scores on the ground. On the road, facing arguably the league's best defense, he put on a MVP performance.
He diced up the vaunted San Francisco 49ers defense all night, rarely struggling or missing a throw. His supporting cast is solid, but they've lost Mark Andrews and Keaton Mitchell. Yet, they've continued humming along.
Jackson may not have eye-popping numbers or massive games every weekend, but he doesn't have many down performances at all, and none of them have been abysmal. He's been consistently good, and that's more than enough to cement him as the favorite for now.
Christian McCaffrey NFL MVP odds: Making the case for 49ers RB
Christian McCaffrey plays running back, the least valuable position in the NFL. Despite that, he's the second-best candidate right now per the odds. That alone should signify how valuable he is.
The fact that, in Week 17, a running back is even in the race speaks volumes. He's been the best offensive player by a mile, and if he played wide receiver instead, he'd be the runaway favorite at this point.
The Baltimore Ravens defense dominated the 49ers offense. Brock Purdy looked like the worst quarterback in the league at times. Yet, McCaffrey ran for over 100 yards, a touchdown, and caught five passes. He was exceptional when the rest of his All-Pro offense was horrendous.
Who decides the NFL MVP winner?
When it's all said and done, 50 writers from the AP will determine who earns the MVP award. They will weigh the resumes of McCaffrey, Purdy, Jackson, Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and the rest of the candidates before voting.
It will ultimately come down to how those voters feel, and while the odds suggest who's in good standing, it can't really be predicted at this stage. Plus, there's two more weeks of football to play before the resumes are closed.
