Lamar Jackson is the new leader in the clubhouse
The ever-changing MVP odds have once again flipped. For a few weeks now, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott have flipped back and forth between the favorite.
Then, Week 16 happened. Both the Cowboys and Niners lost to playoff teams. When you lose this late in the year, it puts a damper on your MVP hopes. When you throw four interceptions in a primetime game, you’ll be lucky to still be on the podium the week after.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s stats may not be as impressive as some others, but he passes the eye test with flying colors and made numerous “MVP” level plays against one of the better defenses in the NFL on Monday night.
Jackson is the new leader in the clubhouse, followed by 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey had an impressive game in his own right, rushing for over 100 yards on just 14 carries. Here’s a look at the updated MVP odds via DraftKings Sportsbook after Week 16:
Lamar Jackson -170
Christian McCaffrey +400
Tua Tagovailoa +1000
Brock Purdy +1200
Josh Allen +1300
For you non-degenerates, -170 means you would win $58.82 if you bet $100 on Lamar to win. Whereas McCaffrey’s odds are 4/1, so you’d win $400 with a $100 bet, and so on and so forth for the rest of the candidates.
Jackson put himself in a position to win the MVP award, while Purdy stumbled and Dak fell out of the top five.
Baltimore faces the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers at home during the final two games. Based on how offenses have had success against those two defenses, McCaffrey would need to have a special performance in each of the final two games to overcome Jackson, assuming he doesn’t slip up.