2023 NFL MVP race after Week 10: CJ Stroud forcing himself into conversation, Lamar Jackson stagnating
The Houston Texans, led by rookie quarterback CJ Stroud, have been among the more surprising teams in the NFL through ten weeks this season.
Coming into the year with low expectations, the Texans find themselves 5-4 after Week 10 and are in the middle of the AFC playoff picture. They have been led by Stroud, who is having one of the best rookie seasons in recent years.
The rookie quarterback has thrown for 2,626 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 61.6 percent of passes. Additionally, he has two rushing touchdowns scored.
Stroud is the clear-cut favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and is now in the MVP picture after the last two weeks' performance with comeback victories. Per Caesars Sportsbook, currently, Stroud has the eighth-highest odds to win MVP at +2500. The last time a rookie won league MVP was in 1957, by the legendary running back Jim Brown.
2023 NFL MVP odds
If CJ Stroud continues to play the way he has been in the last two weeks, he will finish at the top of this list by the end of the season. There are still eight more weeks left of the regular season and players could get hurt, drop in production, or go off towards the end of the season.
As of Monday, November 13, here are the top five highest odds to win this year's MVP.
#5. Joe Burrow (+750)
After an 0-2 start to the 2023 season, Joe Burrow is one of the top five players favored to win MVP.
Burrow led the Bengals on a four-game win streak from October 8 to November 5, defeating three playoff teams from a season (Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks.) After throwing just two touchdown passes in his first four games combined, Burrow has thrown for 12 in the last five games and has looked like the Burrow everyone knows.
On the season, he's thrown for 2,208 yards, 14 touchdowns, six interceptions, and has completed 67 percent of passes.
#4. Tua Tagovailoa (+600)
It seems as if Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins are having a similar season to the one they had last year.
Tagovailoa started the season playing lights out and looked like he could be the clear-cut MVP winner. However, all three of Miami's losses have come to winning teams this season, and they're still looking for their statement victory halfway through the season.
Nevertheless, Tagovailoa's numbers are still very impressive. He's thrown for 2,609 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while leading the Dolphins to a 6-3 record.
#3. Lamar Jackson (+400)
Heading into Week 10, the Baltimore Ravens, led by Lamar Jackon, were widely considered the best team. Jackson also was tied for the second-highest odds to win MVP. Those odds plummeted a bit this week as they lost a close 33-31 game vs. the Cleveland Browns in Week 10.
In defeat, Jackson was held under 250 passing yards and threw one touchdown and two interceptions.
On the season, he's thrown for 2,177 yards, ten touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 70.3 percent of passes. Additionally, he has 481 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
#2. Jalen Hurts (+350)
Jalen Hurts had led the Philadelphia Eagles to a league-best 8-1 record through the first ten weeks of the season. Hurts has continued to play the way he played all last season that saw the Eagles wind up in the Super Bowl.
The Eagles are the team to beat in the NFC and a large part of that is because of how Hurts has been playing.
Hurts has thrown for 2,347 yards, 15 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 68.9 percent of passes. He also has seven rushing touchdowns and 316 yards on the ground.
#1. Patrick Mahomes (+280)
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is still the favorite to win his second MVP.
The Chiefs had a bye this week but sit at 7-2 after Week 10. Mahomes has been playing lights out, even with much less star power on their roster this season. Mahomes has thrown for 2,442 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He's averaging a career-high 6.1 yards per carry on the ground with his 258 rushing yards.
This week, the Chiefs will face the Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch, and we could see the NFL MVP odds shift depending on which quarterback has a better game.
NFL MVP race: 3 sneaky candidates who could shake things up
While the top five candidates to win MVP are QBs, some non-quarterbacks could make a run at winning the award.
Here are three sneaky candidates who, at any time, could put themselves in the MVP picture.
Christian McCaffrey
Christain McCaffrey finally had his streak of scoring a consecutive touchdown snapped yesterday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. Still, McCaffrey is one of the best offensive weapons in the league this year, as he's recorded 1,000 yards on offense and 13 touchdowns this season.
Tyreek Hill
Tyreek Hill became the first player in NFL history to record over 1,000 receiving yards through the first eight games of a season.
He's up to 1,076 with 69 catches and eight touchdowns through nine games. If Hill can continue to keep posting video-game-like numbers, there's a chance he could do something crazy by winning the award.
CJ Stroud
As mentioned above, CJ Stroud is having an exceptional rookie season. He's the heavy favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, and with him being a top-10 NFL MVP candidate, it's almost a lock that he will win the award.
It would be huge for Stroud to lead the Texans to the playoffs, and that could be enough to potentially end up as a final candidate for MVP.