The 2023 NFL MVP race took a wild turn following Week 16 as the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson became the favorite, via BetMGM, as his team knocked off Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night.
Jackson (-160 as of Tuesday morning) has become the third favorite in as many weeks. After Week 14, the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott carried a slight edge over Purdy for No. 1. After Week 15, Purdy took a significant lead for the top spot with Jackson at No. 2. Jackson easily outplayed Purdy in their heads-up matchup in Week 16.
The Ravens quarterback threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns along with 45 rushing yards in the win. Purdy yielded a career-worst 42.6 passer rating as he threw four interceptions in the loss.
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Purdy has fallen to fourth in the race at +1200.
His 49ers teammate, Christian McCaffrey, has propelled to No. 2 in the MVP hunt at +400. The Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa ranks third at +900. The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen rounds out the top five at +1300.
Here’s a look at the odds from all of the NFL individual awards (odds are live and will shift accordingly). Jackson is the only player among the top eight in odds to have previously won the award (in 2019).
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Purdy’s postgame assessment
The 49ers quarterback laid out his thought process as the interceptions piled up during his Monday news conference after the team’s 33-19 loss to the Ravens.
“For me, it’s like I’ve gotta ask myself, ‘All right, who are you, what do you stand for? Who are you when things are good? Who are you when things don’t go your way?’” Purdy said when asked what was going through his mind as the interceptions continued. “It’s easy to be riding high and thinking you’re the man when things are going well, winning games and all that kind of stuff. And you don’t really see a whole lot of adversity in some games and whatnot. And this is the reality of the NFL. …
“I have to look myself in the mirror, watch the plays, get better, make some cleaner decisions, help my team put up points and score and protect the ball. And when things don’t go my way, it’s understanding I can’t be acting out. I have to be real with myself and be better. But I want to be the same guy every day, be consistent in what I do, how I do things, whether things are going well or not. I know who I am, and I’m not going to waver in that. I’ve said that before, I’ll continue to hang my hat on that.”
Here’s a look at the rest of the non-MVP award odds:
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Offensive Player of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Comeback Player of the Year
Coach of the Year
Required reading
- NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Ravens take over the top spot, plus an MVP for every team
- NFL playoff picture after Week 16: Ravens close in on AFC’s top seed; NFC up for grabs
- Ravens dominate 49ers with physicality and playmaking, send message to rest of NFL
(Photo: Loren Elliott / Getty Images)
