Race for NFL MVP after Week 9: Allen loses ground, Mahomes is new favorite

We are heading into the second half of the NFL’s regular season and for the first time all year, Josh Allen is not the odds on favorite to win the Most Valuable Player award.

We had some seismic shifts in the NFL at the halfway point of the season, and that led to a big commotion in the race for the MVP award.

Josh Allen has been the front runner to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player since preseason, and was unwavering through the first nine weeks of the campaign. Allen stumbled on Sunday, and Patrick Mahomes was sitting in the tall grass waiting to pounce.

Heading into the downhill portion of the season, the race is wide open but for the first time this season Josh Allen and the Bills looked a bit vulnerable which will set up for a very interesting next nine weeks.

Patrick Mahomes +225, last week +400

All eyes were on Arrowhead in a huge battle of AFC giants as the Titans came to town and gave KC all they could handle. Magic Mahomes had to carry the Chiefs on a night in which the offensive and defensive line was manhandled by Tennessee’s big boys. As we have seen so many times this year, Mahomes took the Chiefs on his shoulders and nullified the Titans physicality were shear genius through the air. His arm was no doubt sore on Monday morning after throwing the ball 68 times. He completed 43 of those passes, while throwing for 446 yards with one TD and one INT. The KC QB also had 63 of the 77 rushing yards the Chiefs had against the Titans including the game tying TD and two point conversion with three minutes to go in the game.

Stats: COMP: 66.2% YDS: 2,605 TD: 21 INT: 6 RYRDS: 176 RTD: 1

Josh Allen +250, last week. +120

The Buffalo Bills two losses this year should be all the evidence we needs to prove just how important Josh Allen is to this team. In both their loss to Miami and their loss to the Jets this weekend, the Bills QB1 looked human. He threw two uncharacteristic interceptions that ended up costing Buffalo the game. The first pick came in the red zone on the opening drive of the game, and let the Jets set the tone on the defensive end for the rest of the day. Allen went 18/34 for just 205 yards on a day where he was sacked five times. For the first time this season, we have seen Allen and the Bills flutter. The loss to the Jets wasn’t the end of the bad news. Allen hurt his elbow on the last drive of the game in New York and has been ruled day-to-day by coach Sean McDermott.

Stats: COMP: 64.1% YDS: 2,403 TD: 19 INT: 8 RYRDS: 392 RTD: 4

Jalen Hurts +250, last week +350

The only undefeated quarterback in the league made a homecoming on Thursday Night and put on a show in Houston. On paper it seemed like a shoe in victory for the Eagles against the worst team in the league, but on a short week, on the road against a team that doesn’t get many primetime games it set up for the typical trap game. The third year QB put on a mature, composed performance in NRG Stadium in front of his family and friends going 21/27 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Maybe the best thing about his performance was his post game press conference where he down played the importance of the Eagles perfect 8-0 record, stating the job is far from done.

Stats: COMP: 68.2% YDS: 2,042 TD: 12 INT: 2 RYRDS: 326 RTD: 6

Lamar Jackson +1000, last week

The Ravens are looking like one of the hottest teams in the league over the last three weeks, but strangely enough it’s been the defense that has been doing the heavy lifting during their first win streak of the season. We all remember how Jackson started the season, throwing 10 TDs in the first three weeks of the season and lighting in up on the ground going for 100+ plus yards in two of those three games. Since then his passing numbers have gone way down. He had a season low 133 yards on 12/22 passing against the Saints on Sunday night, but his 82 yards on the ground helped the Ravens gain almost 200 yards on the ground in the 27-13 win. The dual threat QB threw his 100th career TD on Sunday night, and 635 yards rushing this season is good enough for 8th in the entire NFL.

Stats: COMP: 62.3% YDS: 1,768 TD: 16 INT: 6 RYRDS: 635 RTD: 2

Tua Tagovailoa +2000, last week

You can’t help but wonder if Tua’s first injury, that led to an even more serious second injury, was handled properly where he’d sit on this list. He missed two and a half games while recovering from one of the most serious concussions we have ever seen, and the Dolphins lost the only three games of their season with their QB1 sidelined. When he returned, Miami got back to their winning ways, but put up just 16 points against the lowly Steelers. SInce then, the Dolphins offense is starting to look like the same squad the began the season as the most explosive team in the league. They are averaging 33 points over their last two games, and Tua has 684 yards and six touchdowns in that span.

Stats: COMP: 69.9% YDS: 1,980 TD: 15 INT: 3 RYRDS: 35 RTD: 0