2023 NFL MVP Race: Patrick Mahomes Remains Atop Leadboard in NFL MVP Odds

2023 NFL MVP Race: Heading Into Week 9

The NFL MVP race continues to update with surprising twists through eight weeks of the 2023 NFL season.

Despite losing outright to the Denver Broncos for the first time in his career, Patrick Mahomes remains atop the MVP Odds race at +270, only a slight tick down from +240 a week ago. Jalen Hurts is the closest to Mahomes, as his rapport with A.J. Brown has ignited a resurgence up the MVP leaderboard, with Hurts accounting for over 300 passing yards and four touchdowns in a comeback win over the Commanders in Week 8.

Tua Tagovailoa handled business against New England to remain undefeated against Bill Belichick in his career, although he's thrown back-to-back interceptions across his last two games. Lamar Jackson cooled off against Arizona in Week 8 but he still completed over 66 percent of his pass attempts for a touchdown, while avoiding interceptions for the second consecutive game. Josh Allen rounds out the current top-five 2023 NFL MVP prospects, following his monster outing against Tampa Bay, where the Bills' franchise quarterback completed over 77 percent of passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns, while scoring a third as a ball carrier.

NFL handicapper Matt MacKay is back to share his latest analysis on how to bet the current 2023 NFL MVP odds entering Week 9

2023 NFL MVP Odds

NFL MVP Race Into Week 9

Patrick Mahomes (+270) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best NFL MVP odds

It finally happened. Patrick Mahomes' winning streak against Denver was snapped on the road at Mile High in Week 8. Mahomes was allegedly dealing with an illness leading up to the contest, but he still finished with under 250 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions against what's been one of the worst defenses in the league this season. At +270, oddsmakers clearly feel that the two-time MVP will bounce back in upcoming matchups, starting with an overseas game against Miami in Week 10. +270 could quickly dry up to +150 or shorter if Mahomes balls out in a good matchup against the Dolphins in Germany, so betting these odds makes sense.

Jalen Hurts (+350) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best NFL MVP odds

There's no doubt Jalen Hurts has improved as a pocket passer. In fact, Hurts has completed over 74 percent of his pass attempts during his last two games, launching accurate, downfield targets to star wideout A.J. Brown. His rushing ability has taken a back seat, but Hurts is still an outlier at picking up short yardage behind his stout offensive line. As long as the Eagles continue to win games, Hurts is in the MVP driver seat. Next up is a highly anticipated Week 9 matchup at home against the Dallas Cowboys, which could launch Hurts up the NFL MVP odds race if he beats Dak Prescott for the first time in his career. +350 is good value, so let's take this number without any hesitation.

Tua Tagovailoa (+370) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best NFL MVP odds

Miami's offense has been humming but it's stalled against quality defenses like Philadelphia and Buffalo. Tua Tagovailoa has a quick release and plenty of weapons surrounding him on offense to keep his numbers up, but his biggest test of the season awaits against an incredibly talented Kansas City Chiefs defense in Week 9. While he's racked up at least three passing touchdowns in four games this season, the turnovers have also been present, as Tagovailoa has thrown five interceptions in his last five games, including matchups against the Giants and Panthers. +370 is a bit short, so assuming Mahomes and the Chiefs handle business and beat the Dolphins next week, we could get a much better number on Tagovailoa's MVP odds, so let's hold for now.

Lamar Jackson (+600) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best NFL MVP odds

Lamar Jackson didn't have to do nearly as much as a passer or ball carrier in Week 8 against Arizona. The 2019 MVP was on full display in Week 7 against the Lions, where he logged 357 passing yards and three touchdowns, with a 155.7 passer rating. In Week 8, however, against a pedestrian Arizona defense, Jackson was more of a game manager, turning to Gus Edwards in the run game to secure 80 yards and three touchdowns for the Ravens. As long as Baltimore continues to win, Jackson will be a strong MVP candidate, but if there are more games in store like we saw this past Sunday, +600 isn't strong enough to wager. Week 9 will see Jackson and the Ravens host the Seattle Seahawks, which could improve his MVP stock with another 300-yard passing outing. If it's a low-scoring, run-centric game plan behind Edwards though, we should wait for Jackson's number to drop into +800 territory.

Josh Allen (+1400) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best NFL MVP odds

Josh Allen's massive outing in a win against Tampa Bay still dropped him from +1000 to +1400 at FanDuel Sportsbook. The Bills' franchise quarterback completed over 77 percent of his pass attempts for 324 yards, two touchdowns, and went 7-41-1 as a ball carrier. He did throw his fourth consecutive interception though, allowing the Bucs to remain competitive in the game, nearly executing a Hail Mary on the final play to win. Buffalo has looked vulnerable at multiple times this season, and now, Allen will face the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 9, which is a unit that dominated him in the 2023 playoffs. +1400 looks great on paper, but if Allen and the Bills lose, which could definitely happen, holding out for +1600 or higher is a good choice. However, +1400 is valuable enough to still bet right now, assuming the Bills pull off a road win over the red-hot Bengals.