Morning Coffee: Jackson emerges as MVP favourite after win over 49ers

Lamar Jackson is the new favourite to win NFL regular season MVP at FanDuel.

With two weeks remaining, it’s his award to lose.

Jackson’s MVP skillset was on display in the biggest game of the year last night, as he threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns with 45 rushing yards in a 33-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers as a +230 moneyline underdog.

The Ravens became the first 12-win team in the NFL.

Baltimore has won five straight games overall and is 6-1 against opponents with a winning record this season.

In my Morning Coffee column last Wednesday, I highlighted how last night’s showdown could have a major impact on the MVP market at FanDuel.

As it turns out, we got exactly the type of upset that we needed in order to force another significant adjustment to the MVP winner odds.

This is the Morning Coffee for Tuesday December 26^th, 2023.

Jackson Emerges As MVP Favourite After Win Over 49ers

Jackson is the seventh different favourite to win NFL regular season MVP at FanDuel this season.

Fortunately for anybody who placed a wager on the Ravens QB to win that award, time is on their side.

Jackson joined Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy on the list of quarterbacks to hold the distinction of being the “MVP favourite” at FanDuel this season.

With just two weeks left in the regular season, it would be a surprise if anybody other than Jackson finished the year as the frontrunner to win MVP.

In a year in which there is no obvious runaway to win the award, Jackson’s case is very straightforward.

He’s the best player on the No. 1 seed in the NFL.

He just led the Ravens to a win over an opponent that rostered two of the top three choices to win MVP entering Week 16 in Purdy and Christian McCaffrey.

In addition to throwing for 3357 yards and 19 touchdowns, he leads all NFL quarterbacks with 786 rushing yards to go with five rushing scores.

As it stands right now, is there a better case for MVP?

Purdy could be found as short as -250 as the favourite to win MVP entering last night’s contest.

Still, his detractors pointed to the fact that he was surrounded by the most loaded cast of skill-position players in the league, including another top-three choice to win MVP in McCaffrey.

After throwing four interceptions in a 14-point loss in a game that San Francisco was favoured by 6.5 points in, Purdy’s odds to win the MVP award ballooned all the way to 13-to-1.

His teammate McCaffrey is now the second choice to win MVP at +450.

McCaffrey could be found as high as 50-to-1 to win that award earlier this month.

His odds to win MVP have shortened more than any other player in the league in December.

Still, the NFL regular season MVP is traditionally awarded to a quarterback, and the fact that the current favourite just beat McCaffrey’s 49ers last night would make it that much more difficult to give him the award over Jackson.

As it stands this morning, it’s Jackson and McCaffrey at the top of the MVP market, while no other player has shorter than 10-to-1 odds to win that award at FanDuel.

Anybody paying attention to the MVP race understood the potential impact that last night’s game would have on the betting market at FanDuel.

As it turns out, we got exactly the type of upset we needed to force a major adjustment.

The MVP is now Jackson’s award to lose with two weeks remaining in the regular season.