MVP Race after Week 1: Mahomes, Allen, Stroud, Hurts and Burrow

The NFL wasted no time giving us a prime-time match up between two players who have four of the last six MVP awards as Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson squared off on Kickoff Thursday from Arrowhead. The Chiefs beat the Ravens by a hair, or rather a toe, and Mahomes kept his place at the top of the MVP ladder after the first week of the season.

Here is how the MVP race is shaping after the Week 1.

Patrick Mahomes, QB Kansas City Chiefs (+400) was (+500) last week

The favorite coming into the season keeps his place at the top of the odds board after a game that gave us a glimpse of just how dangerous this team, and Mahomes can be with his new arsenal over weapons at receiver. Rashee Rice is a year older and a year wiser while Xavier Worthy brings a new dynamic to this KC offense. The reigning Super Bowl MVP was his usual brilliant self, coming up with a coupe of Mahomes Magic plays and constructing what turned out to be the game winning drive against a team everyone thinks will be the team to keep Kansas City from their three-peat.

Pass: 71.4 CMP%, 291 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT 101.9 RTG

Run: 2 CAR, 3 YDS, 0 TD

Josh Allen, QB Buffalo Bills (+550) was (+850) last week

The odds makers aren’t dumb. They know the Bills may not be as good of a team as they were a few years ago, but they know that if they are going to be any good it’s going to come down to Josh Allen doing just about everything. That’s exactly what he did in Week 1 against the Cardinals. Buffalo spotted Arizona 10 points before Josh Allen put the Bills on his back willed them to victory in Orchard Park. Allen ran in the first of his two rushing TDs with under 20 seconds left in the first half to kick start the offense coming out of halftime. He showed a budding chemistry with WRs Mack Hollins and Khalil Shakir, throwing TD passes to both in the third quarter before sealing the game with a six yard TD run to put the Bills up by two scores in the 4th quarter.

Pass: 78.3 CMP%, 232 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT, 137.7 RTG,

Run: 9 CAR, 39 YDS, 2 TDs

C.J. Stroud, QB Houston Texans (+900) was (+1100) last week

No second year scaries for C.J. Stroud who led his Texans to a tough road win against a division rival to start the season. After a historic rookie season, people around the league couldn’t wait to see if Stroud would have a sophomore slump or if he was going to maintain the same level he showcased in his debut season. Texans fans, fear not. Stroud was on the money against the Colts, completing 75% of his passes, and throwing two TDs to his newest weapon at WR, Stefon Diggs. With Joe Mixon, Diggs coming to Houston this off season and and Tank Dell getting back to 100%, it’s even more likely Stroud has a better season then his incredible rookie year.

Pass: 75 CMP%, 234 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT, 115.9 RTG

Run: 4 CAR, 13 YDS, 0 TD

Jalen Hurts, QB Philadelphia Eagles (+1000) was (+1000) last week

Going overseas to play a game is never easy. When the NFL asks you to do so on Week 1, things get even more complicated. Luckily for the Eagles they have a quarterback hungry to prove to everyone that he is still elite after Philly’s late season collapse. Adding Saquon Barkley may take some of the weight off his shoulders, but at the same time might have a direct affect on his stats. On Friday in Sao Paolo there was enough to go around for everyone. Barkley had his three TD debut in an Eagles jersey, with one of those TDs coming on a Hurts pass. Hurts threw a pick on the second pass of his season, but bounced back nicely. He threw a late pick that made things interesting at the end of the game but both he and Barkley did enough to hold on until the finish line and return to the City of Brotherly Love with a win in their pocket.

Pass: 58.8 CMP%, 278 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT, 80.3 RTG

Run: 13 CAR, 33 YDS, 0 TD

Joe Burrow, QB Cincinnati Bengals (+1400) was (+900) last week

By far the worst performance of any of the QBs that were projected in the top five in the preseason odds board. For the first time in a few years, Burrow came into the season feeling fully healthy, the only problem was on the practice field without his No. 1 target Ja’Marr Chase for most of that time. Chase played in Week 1 amidst holdout rumors, but Burrow didn’t have Tee Higgins who was out with injury and the departure of Joe Mixon was more than noticeable. His completion percentage wasn’t terrible, but there was no bite to the Bengals offense, and the showed when they needed Burrow to make a play late in the game. Instead Cincy went three-and-out, punted and never got the ball back.

Pass: 72.4 CMP%, 164 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT, 86.0 RTG

Run: 4 CAR, 15 YDS, 0 TD

Honorable mention:

Lamar Jackson, QB Baltimore Ravens (+1600) was (+1500) last week

With Lamar and Derrick Henry in the same backfield some people were already writing in the Ravens name into the Super Bowl out of the AFC without ever having seen them play. Once we got a glimpse of them, there were a few things that became clear. One, the Ravens offensive line needs to improve a lot of the course of the season if they are going to be elite. Two, Lamar is capable but shouldn’t be asked to carry his team each and every week. He looks to have a new top target in Isaiah Likely, but he was asked to do too much with his legs. He had a great game on the ground, and a decent day passing the ball but missed a couple of potential game tying throws in the final plays of the 4th quarter.

Pass: 63.4 CMP%, 273 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT, 90.8 RTG

Run: 16 CAR, 122 YDS, 0 TD