NFL MVP Race after Week 4: Mahomes retakes top spot, Allen right behind, Darnold makes first appearance in top five

Patrick Mahomes briefly lost his spot at the top of the MVP odds makers board last week after a brilliant performance from Josh Allen on Monday Night Football. The Bills lost to the Ravens in a battle of MVP candidate QBs this Sunday and Mahomes is back on top with his Chiefs rolling through the first month of the season. He isn’t the only undefeated quarterback in the top five. Sam Darnold has been putting up MVP numbers through the first four weeks of the season and now the former third overall pick turned back up is not just the QB1 in Minnesota, he might be MVP1 at this point of the season.

These are the MVP odds heading into Week 5 according to MGM Grand.

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (+240)

The Chiefs won another close call to keep their record unblemished through the first month of the season, but it hasn’t always been pretty for the two time defending champions. KC went down 10-0 in the first quarter against the Chargers on Sunday and had to battle back. The defense did most of the heavy lifting in the final three quarters, but Patrick Mahomes did hit Xavier Worthy with a 54 yard bomb to put the Chiefs on the board in the second quarter. Mahomes had 245 yards on 19/29 passing but was sacked three times and threw a pick. His TD to INT ration is far from what we are used to seeing from the two time MVP and three time Super Bowl Champion. Maybe the most damaging thing to Mahomes’ MVP case coming out of Week 4 was losing his No. 1 target Rashee Rice with an injury that looks like it’s going to keep him out for the entire season.

Pass stats: 68.6% CMP, 904 YDS, 6 TD, 5 INT, RTG 89.7

Run stats: 17 CAR, 61 YDS, 0 TD

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (+260)

The honeymoon had to end at some time. Josh Allen and his new offense looked like a well oiled machine for the first three weeks of the season, and he sky rocketed to the top of the odds makers board. He was playing fantastic football, and had the Bills at 3-0 going into their massive Sunday night matchup with the Baltimore Ravens, but Buffalo ran into a buzz saw named Derrick Henry in their primetime game. Henry ran for 199 yards, and didn’t just flatten the defense. It seemed to have an affect on the offense and Allen’s passing game as well. Allen completed just over 50% of his passes and sat out the final few series with the game done and dusted. Buffalo scored just one TD against the Ravens defense as they were dealt their first loss of the season. Allen has still not thrown an interception, which is great news for the Bills. Turnovers have been a big issue in the pass as the QB sometimes can try to do too much, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in Buffalo through the first four weeks.

Pass stats: 69.3% CMP, 814 YDS, 7 TDS, 0 INT, 116.5 RTG

Rush stats: 22 CAR, 106 YDS, 2 TD

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens (+1000)

It may not have been the Lamar Jackson show on Sunday night in Baltimore, but he did nothing to hurt his MVP chances. Jackson went out and had very efficient night passing in a game that was dominated by Derrick Henry. He threw the ball just 18 times, completing 13 of those passes for 156 yards and two TDs. He also had a light night running the ball, which is going to be important as the season goes on. He ran just 6 times and picked up 54 yards and a TD as the Ravens cruised to victory and are suddenly looking like one of the best teams in the league. Derrick Henry taking flight as a Raven should only help Jackson’s chance at a second straight MVP. With teams having to respect the run so much, he’s going to have some big games passing the ball.

Pass stats: 66.7% CMP, 858 YDS, 5 TDS, 1 INT, 102.3 RTG

Rush stats: 41 CAR, 308 YDS, 2 TD

C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (+1100)

With Joe Mixon sidelined for a second straight game, the Houston Texans QB knew he was going to have to carry most of the load in their game against a desperate Jaguars team. The Texans had just gotten their butts handed to them by Minnesota the week before and needed a win to calm the waters in Houston. Stroud came out and had a massive first half, throwing for the majority of his 345 yards in the opening two quarters but the offense shut off in the second half. Jacksonville took the lead and held it until the final minutes of the game, but the second year QB had one more shot to win the game for his team. He marched the Texans down field going 5/5 and throwing the game winning touchdown to Dare Ogunbowale with 18 seconds on the clock

Pass stats: 67.6% CMP, 1,054 YDS, 6 TDS, 2 INTS, 98.4 RTG

Rush stats: 11 CAR, 41 YDS, 0 TD

Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings (+1100)

It’s about time Sam Darnold gets some love in the eyes of the MVP odds makers at MGM Grand. He has done nothing but lead the best looking team in the league to four straight wins while throwing for the most touchdowns in the league and topping all of the other quarterbacks on this list with a passer rating of 118.9. The Vikings had a huge match up with their NFC North rivals in Lambeau and they came out and smacked the Packers around in the first half. They went up 28-0 and even though they almost gave up that lead, the Vikings were in complete control for most of that game. The Vikings don’t just have the most efficient QB in the game, they have one of the best defenses in the league, allowing under 15 ppg, and have the second most takeaways with 10. Minnesota is without question the most balanced team in the NFL, and if they continue to play like this Darnold is going to climb the MVP ladder.

Pass stats: 68.9% CMP, 932 YDS, 11 TD, 3 INT, 118.9 RTG

Run stats: 15 CAR, 50 YDS, 0 TD