We are officially more than 60% of the way through 2024 NFL season, with only seven weeks of the regular-season schedule to go. That means we’ve had plenty of time to evaluate this year’s best players, and maybe, just maybe, identify the best candidates to claim MVP honors.
As we head into Week 12, we tried to do just that by polling more than a dozen of our own NFL experts for the highest individual award of this season. Below, you’ll find our complete list of voters, how we earned top five MVP votes, and our collective pick for this season’s most valuable player:
Our panel of voters (16): Cody Benjamin, John Breech, Joel Corry, Jordan Dajani, Bryan DeArdo, Jared Dubin, Josh Edwards, Eric Kernish, Jeff Kerr, Shanna McCarriston, Garrett Podell, Pete Prisco, Kyle Stackpole, Kevin Steimle, Tyler Sullivan, Chris Trapasso
Voting rules:
- Every first place vote counts 5 points
- Every second place vote counts 4 points
- Every third place vote counts 3 points
- Every four-place vote counts 2 points
- Every fifth place vote counts 1 point
The full MVP board
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- Bills QB Josh Allen (76 points)
- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (56 points)
- Lions QB Jared Goff (38 points)
- Eagles RB Saquon Barkley (33 points)
- Ravens RB Derrick Henry (9 points)
- Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (7 points)
- Chargers QB Justin Herbert (6 points)
- Bengals QB Joe Burrow (5 points)
- Steelers OLB TJ Watt (4 points)
- Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (3 points)
- Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (2 points)
- Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (1 point)
What have you done for me lately? It’s a common phrase deployed in NFL circles, and it’s clearly part of our MVP discussion here. Jackson, after all, was arguably the best all-around quarterback this year, with close to 600 rushing yards along with a career-best and NFL-high 117.3 passer rating, but he was bottled up in a big divisional matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in. Week 11, as the similarly dynamic Allen lifted the Buffalo Bills to a decisive victory over then-undefeated Kansas City. bosses
Regardless, this race could probably be split into a few parts: Allen and Jackson are the clear front-runners, while Goff is a viable alternative. Barkley, meanwhile, is far and away the favorite non-quarterback, leading the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,347) as the Eagles’ centerpiece. After that, there is a big elimination, with eight others drawing at least one vote.
Top votes
- Bills QB Josh Allen (12)
- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (4)
Here’s confirmation of the notion that this issue is a two-horse race, at least for now: Only Allen and Jackson received first-place votes, while the former dominated by that criteria, fresh off his win over the Chiefs. Should Jackson bounce back in Week 12 with a primetime win over the Los Angeles Chargers, he’ll likely rebound as a true contender for a second straight MVP award.
Most entire ballots
- Bills QB Josh Allen (16)
- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (15)
- Lions QB Jared Goff (13)
- Eagles RB Saquon Barkley (13)
- Ravens RB Derrick Henry (7)
- Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (6)
- Bengals QB Joe Burrow (3)
- Chargers QB Justin Herbert (3)
- Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (1)
- Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (1)
- Top QB Patrick Mahomes (1)
- Steelers OLB TJ Watt (1)
Tricky name to watch here: Murray, who had the sixth-best representation among all players receiving votes. He has the Arizona Cardinals atop the crowded NFC West, and his dual-threat dynamic has helped turn Jonathan Gannon’s squad into a potential playoff contender. Another quarterback who could be on the rise: Herbert, who is fresh off a primetime win over Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Positional representation
- QB (9)
- RB (2)
- OLB (1)
Not surprisingly, quarterback remains the dominant vote-getter. However, having two different running backs in MVP consideration speaks to the renewed emphasis placed on the ground game by several contenders, including the Eagles and Ravens.
Actual MVP favorite
The oddsmakers generally agree with the votes here, as FanDuel Sportsbook pegs Allen (+125) as the clear favorite to take home this year’s top hardware, with Jackson (+200) a close second and Goff (+800) a distant third. Interestingly, Mahomes (+1200) remains a front-runner for MVP among the oddsmakers, despite his recent loss to Allen and the Bills and a relatively unremarkable stat line. Barkley, by the way, is a long shot (+6500) to actually claim the top prize, per FanDuel, which probably accounts for the fact that a non-quarterback hasn’t won MVP since Adrian Peterson back in 2012.
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