We’re officially more than 60% of the way through the 2024 NFL season, with only seven weeks of the regular-season schedule to go. Which means we’ve had a fair amount of time to assess this year’s top players, and maybe, just maybe, identify the best candidates to claim MVP honors.
As we enter Week 12, we’ve attempted to do just that, polling more than a dozen of our NFL experts for this season’s top individual accolade. Below, you’ll find our complete list of voters, how we scored top-five votes for MVP, 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
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, has arguably been this year’s best all-around quarterback, with close to 600 rushing yards alongside 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, whereas the similarly dynamic Allen elevated the Buffalo Bills in a decisive win over the then-unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs.
Regardless, this race could probably be broken down into a few tiers: Allen and Jackson are the clear front-runners, while Goff is a feasible alternative. Barkley, meanwhile, is far and away the favored non-quarterback, leading the NFL in scrimmage yards (1,347) as the centerpiece of the Eagles. After that, there’s a big drop-off, with eight others drawing at least one vote.
Here’s confirmation of the notion this thing is a two-horse race, at least for now: Only Allen and Jackson received first-place votes, while the former dominated with that criteria, fresh off his win over the Chiefs. Should Jackson rebound in Week 12 with a prime-time win over the Los Angeles Chargers, he’s liable to shoot back up as a real challenger for a second straight MVP award.
A sneaky name to watch here: Murray, who had the sixth-best representation among all players receiving votes. He’s got the Arizona Cardinals atop the crowded NFC West, and his dual-threat dynamism has helped turn Jonathan Gannon’s squad into a potential playoff contender. Another quarterback who could be on the rise: Herbert, who’s fresh off a prime-time win over Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Unsurprisingly, quarterback remains the dominant vote-getter. Still, to have two different running backs draw MVP consideration speaks to the renewed emphasis placed on the ground game by several contenders, including the Eagles and Ravens.
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 enough, Mahomes (+1200) remains a top-five pick 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 award, per FanDuel, which probably accounts for the fact a non-quarterback hasn’t won MVP since Adrian Peterson back in 2012.
