Week 13 NFL MVP Race: Tyreek Hill, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott making strong cases
Tyreek Hill, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and the rest of the NFL elite are heading into Week 13 and as the playoff picture begins to take shape, the MVP race does as well. However, in both arenas, the race is wide open for all but the lowest-ranked candidates.
At this point, Tyreek Hill, Jalen Hurts, and Dak Prescott are some of the conventional picks for MVP. Analysts, pundits, and fans have thrown around Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott as some of the most common names, with Tyreek Hill (1324 yards and ten touchdowns in 2023) as an unconventional pick.
MVP typically goes to quarterbacks in the vast majority of seasons, so anyone declaring another positional player is taking a massive leap of faith. Here's a look at the race as December dawns in the NFL.
2023 NFL MVP odds heading into Week 13
According to Bet MGM via USA Today, the top list of candidates are quite conventional.
Tied for fourth are Dak Prescott and Tua Tagovailoa at +800. In third place, Lamar Jackson sits at +500. As with any other year, Patrick Mahomes is in the running for second place at +350. Jalen Hurts serves as the top-leading candidate at +200.
One could argue that Prescott and Tagovailoa have loaded stats but also have loaded rosters, which somewhat offset their odds. Lamar Jackson, meanwhile, continues to dominate the NFL without any truly explosive playmakers outside of himself and his legs.
Patrick Mahomes might be in for the easiest argument of his NFL career, with wide receivers dropping passes all over the park.
Additionally, with Travis Kelce starting to show his age and with his focus beginning to wander, it has fallen on the quarterback perhaps more than ever before to keep the team afloat.
Jalen Hurts plays in a quarterback-driven league and the Eagles signal caller has a better record than anyone in the NFL. As such, the easiest decision is to pick the winningest player at the position.
3 under-the-radar candidates for 2023 NFL MVP
While the list for MVP is much narrower now than it was a month ago, there are still some players morphing strong arguments as to how the team wins through them. First up is Christian McCaffrey.
The 49ers running back is the beating heart of the team's offense and while Brock Purdy has been shaky at times this season, McCaffrey has been consistent.
The running back is already closing in on 1500 all-purpose yards and with the 49ers back to rolling, it is hard to take anything away from the team's number one running back.
Secondly, CJ Stroud might be a rookie, but the quarterback is playing like one of the star quarterbacks of the NFL. The rookie has thrown for 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, while their defense is in the bottom six in passing yards allowed per game.
As Russell Wilson slowly wills his team back into the playoff hunt, the quarterback slowly elevates his case for MVP.
If Denver, a team already riding a five-game win streak, manages to run the table to a 12-5 record and Wilson maintains a league-leading touchdown-interception ratio, the quarterback has no choice but to enter the conversation.
There's still a long way to go for the quarterback, but he's as strong of an under-the-radar candidate as anyone.