Even after playing just one game in Week 18, Josh Allen remains the odds-on favorite to win the NFL MVP over reigning winner Lamar Jackson after the final week of the regular season.
Allen has done enough through the first 17 weeks to earn the respect of our best NFL betting sites, leading the Buffalo Bills to 13 wins and a No. 2 ranking in the AFC ahead of next week's NFL playoffs.
Still, Jackson hasn't been left out of the regular season, leading a Baltimore Ravens team to an AFC North title and one of the top spots in the latest Super Bowl odds as he attempts to become the fourth MVP twice in the last 25 years.
Don't completely discount Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who, despite the setback, made a last-ditch effort Saturday to keep his team's playoff chances alive.
Josh Allen MVP Odds (-230).
2024 Stats: 3,731 passing yards, 28 TDs, 6 INTs (531 rushing yards, 12 TDs).
Allen did nothing to help him become this week's MVP. In Week 18, the Bills gave their star QB a rest (except for one outing), and ended up losing to the New England Patriots by a score of 23-16. But by this point, he'd already put together one heck of a resume.
As we wrote last week in our comparison of Josh Allen to Lamar Jackson, Allen has been the driving force behind some of the biggest wins and iconic moments of this NFL season, and he's done it with stunning efficiency as a passer and offensive player.
His statistical numbers on paper still pale in comparison to Jackson - both in traditional and advanced metrics. However, even as he watched from the sidelines in the final week of the regular season, everything was still on his side.
Lamar Jackson (+185) MVP odds.
2024 stats: 4,172 passing yards, 41 TDs, 4 INTs (915 rushing yards, 4 TDs)
The reigning MVP had one last attempt to bolster his bid for a repeat victory on Saturday, and while his chances technically diminished, he didn't do much to help his cause, racking up 217 yards and two TDs while completing just 50 percent of his passes in a 35-10 win over the Cleveland Browns.
That impression may not be enough to overtake Allen, even if the latter takes a spot in Week 18. We wouldn't think so - Jackson has been the best passer all season long, and even with more explosive runs - but it seems like the MVP story has completely run out of steam by this point.
Still, with the Ravens star getting plus odds in a race that should be 50/50 at best, there are worse bets to make ahead of the postseason.
MVP odds for Joe Burrow (+1400)
2024 stats: 4,918 passing yards, 43 TDs, 9 INTs (201 rushing yards, 2 TDs).
Barrow needed a miracle in Week 18 to help the Bengals make the playoffs and breathe life into his failed MVP career.
He checked the first box score box on Saturday, leading Cincinnati to a 19-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but a Denver Broncos win made that result null and void. And his 277-yard total with a touchdown and an interception doesn't scream MVP as much as his epic game in Week 17.
If Burrow had played better defense or fended off teammates this season, he could very well have been the MVP, racking up nearly 5,000 yards and 43 touchdowns. But Cincy's early setbacks will likely leave Burrow's career year a mere footnote.
Saquon Barkley MVP odds (+6000)
2024 stats: 345 passing yards, 2,005 yards, 13 TDs (33 receptions, 278 yards, 2 TDs).
Barkley did not play in the Eagles' 20-13 victory over the New York Giants in Week 18. Too bad, because he was just 100 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson's record for most points scored in a season - albeit one more game than the Hall of Fame quarterback had.
That's likely exactly what Barkley would lack to have a real shot in this race, even if he becomes one of only nine players to ever surpass the 2,000-yard mark. In his debut season in Philadelphia, Barkley gained over 125 yards per game and was a key reason why the Eagles' Super Bowl chances are among the lowest in the league.
Alas, we'll have to wait another year (or decade, or century) for the running back to reclaim the MVP award, though Barkley seems to be just around the corner, and after a record-breaking campaign, he'll be the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
