Oddsmakers see Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes as clear MVP favorite after Jalen Hurts’ injury

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Eagles star Jalen Hurts have been viewed this season as the most likely candidates to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.

But Hurts suffered a sprained shoulder during the Eagles’ win Sunday over the Bears, and his status for this weekend’s games is in doubt, per NFL.com.

Yahoo Sports reported that BetMGM briefly removed its odds for NFL MVP on Monday after Hurts’ injury was revealed. This is what Yahoo wrote: “Hurts had the second-best MVP odds at BetMGM when they went back up. Mahomes was the huge favorite.”

Mahomes was listed as -275, Yahoo said, followed by Hurts at +450, while Josh Allen and Joe Burrow were both at +600.

The Athletic’s Larry Holder noted Hurts started Monday as a -145 favorite, but “the odds shifted quickly once bettors caught wind of the injury.”

NBC Sports Philly shared odds from Points Bet that also showed a big swing in Mahomes’ favor (from +120 to -130).

“While Hurts’ season is one of the best in team history for a quarterback,” Dan Roche wrote, “it likely won’t be enough to this point to pry the MVP honors away from Mahomes, who is on a pace to set an NFL record for total yards (passing plus rushing), and has the Chiefs at 11-3 and in the hunt for the #1 seed in the AFC playoff race.”

Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab also noted Mahomes’ sterling résumé this season.

“Mahomes also had a great argument to win MVP before Hurts’ injury, though was losing ground because of the Eagles’ record and probably some recency bias,” Schwab wrote. “Mahomes has been phenomenal all season but Hurts was the hotter name lately. Narratives often play a big factor in who wins MVP. Mahomes might not have to worry about that anymore.”