Kyler Murray takes over as consensus NFL MVP favorite

October 6, 2021

The Arizona Cardinals are the lone remaining unbeaten team through four weeks of the NFL season, and the man who has led them to that 4-0 record is now the consensus favorite to win league MVP honors.

Kyler Murray had ascended the list of contenders at sportsbooks through a hot September, but now he owns the shortest odds at major sportsbooks after leading a 37-20 upset of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Murray finished 24-of-32 passing for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Rams’ typically stout defense. He is third in the league with 1,273 passing yards with nine touchdowns against four interceptions.

Installed before the season at +2500 by BetMGM, Murray is now the +500 MVP favorite at the sportsbook. He is followed by another rapidly rising quarterback in Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who has moved from +1600 to +650 in leading the Bills to a 3-1 start.

Both have passed preseason favorite Patrick Mahomes, who still has the third-shortest odds at +750 in guiding Kansas City to a 2-2 start. Just behind him is Chargers second-year star Justin Herbert, who has rocketed from +2200 to +800.

Murray has even shorter odds at DraftKings, where he is the +450 favorite ahead of Mahomes (+650), Allen (+700) and Herbert (+750). Murray is +475 ahead of Mahomes (+550) at PointsBet, where Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady has the third-shortest odds at +800.

It still remains a wide open race with three-quarters of the regular season remaining.

Brady had been among the top three favorites just two weeks ago when the Bucs were 2-0. A loss to the Rams followed by a narrow win at New England resulted in Brady’s odds lengthening to +1000 at BetMGM along with Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Dallas’ Dak Prescott.

Meanwhile, DraftKings is offering Prescott at +800, Rodgers at +1000 and Brady at +1400 with Matthew Stafford, who was among the favorites before the Rams’ offense scuffled in the loss to Arizona.

The top non-quarterback remains Tennessee running back Derrick Henry, who is a +5000 longshot at BetMGM and PointsBet and has even longer odds at +10000 at DraftKings.

BetMGM Insights

Line movement (Open, Current)

–Kyler Murray +2500 to +500

–Josh Allen +1600 to +650

–Justin Herbert +2200 to +800

Highest Ticket%

–Kyler Murray 16.1%

–Matthew Stafford 15.3%

–Josh Allen 11.9%

Highest Handle%

–Kyler Murray 18.2%

–Matthew Stafford 13.1%

–Tom Brady 13.0%

Biggest Liabilities

–Kyler Murray

–Matthew Stafford

–Josh Allen

–Field Level Media

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