The NFL season is approaching the halfway mark as we head into Week 9 and several big-name players are making a case to be the league’s most valuable player.
The MVP candidates are the normal cast of characters you’d expect to see on a list like this, but the current leader of the race is somebody who’s never been in the MVP conversation this late into the season.
All odds come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tua Tagovailoa (+300)
The Miami Dolphins signal caller is having the best season of his career, so far. He leads the NFL in passing yards with 2,416 and is tied for first in the league with 18 touchdowns. He’s also got a top-5 QBR and the number-one passer rating of quarterbacks who have played more than one game (108.8).
All of those accolades have helped push Miami to a 6-2 record for the first time since 2001.
Patrick Mahomes (+400)
Mahomes had a bit of a down week in Week 8, but he’s still currently in second in the MVP race. He’s third in the league in total passing yards, has 15 passing TDs, and ranks in the top 10 in passer rating.
Still, in a Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos, he turned the ball over twice and failed to engineer a touchdown drive.
Week 8 MVP power rankings
1. Tua Tagovailoa, QB. Miami Dolphins (+300)
2. Patrick Mahomes, QB. Kansas City Chiefs (+400)
3. Jalen Hurts, QB. Philidelphia Eagles (+425)
4. Lamar Jackson, QB. Baltimore Ravens (+550)
5. Josh Allen, QB. Buffalo Bills (+1200)
Week 9 matchups
There are a few massive matchups on tap in Week 9 that could have major implications for the playoffs and MVP race. The Sunday slate gets started early, with a matchup between the top two MVP candidates, Tagovailoa and Mahomes, in Germany.
Later on in the day Hurts takes his Eagles up against one of the best defenses in the NFL and a divisional rival in the Dallas Cowboys.
Finally, the Sunday slate wraps up with a playoff rematch between Joe Burrow’s Bengals and Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Allen will need a big game to keep his MVP hopes alive as Buffalo has not looked like themselves as of late.
