NFL MVP Odds Have Completely Flipped After A Wild Week 1

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

One week flipped the NFL MVP board. Josh Allen is still the favorite after Buffalo’s 36-31 win over Houston, but he no longer has much breathing room. Caleb Williams just jumped from +1200 to +600 after Chicago hung 59 points on Carolina.

Pro Football Talk laid out the new prices. Allen moved from +600 to +500 after 334 yards passing and four total touchdowns. Williams now sits right behind him. Lamar Jackson is next at +650, followed by Joe Burrow at +900 and Brock Purdy at +1200. Patrick Mahomes slipped to +1600. Dak Prescott and Trevor Lawrence are both +1800.

Last year’s winner took the biggest hit. Matthew Stafford dropped from +1400 to +2000 after the Rams’ ugly opener. One Sunday does not hand out a trophy, but it does tell the market who looked like the best player on the field.

NFL MVP Race Tightens After Chicago’s Record Outburst

Williams ran the highest-scoring Week 1 game in league history. He went 21-of-29 for 269 yards and two passing scores, then added 65 rushing yards and two more touchdowns. Chicago still needed every point because Carolina kept answering in a 59-37 final.

The Bears quarterback even praised Carolina’s defense on the handshake line after that explosion.

Allen’s night was the other half of the story. He beat a good Texans defense in a one-score game they closed out with a game-sealing fumble. The 2024 MVP award winner still looks like the safest name on the board.

Why These NFL MVP Odds Will Move Again by Week 3

The new price list is a snapshot, not a verdict. Williams still has to prove the Carolina tape was a standard, not a one-off. Allen still has to keep winning close games without turning the ball over. Jackson remains close enough that one big Baltimore night puts him back in front.

Mahomes sitting at +1600 after Week 1 will not last if Kansas City starts stacking wins. Stafford’s slide only holds if the Rams look ordinary again. Lawrence at +1800 is the sleeper line after Jacksonville dropped 34 on Cleveland.

The NFL MVP conversation always overreacts to the first Sunday. This time the overreaction has a face. Williams went from long shot to second favorite in one road game, but Allen is still first. Everybody else is chasing two quarterbacks who just made the race look wide open.