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NFL MVP Top 12 Player Power Rankings Going Into Week 17

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1) QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: -260 --> This Week's Odds: -195

Matthew Stafford remains the odds-on favorite despite dropping last Thursday's wild OT game to the Seattle Seahawks. The loss may have pushed the veteran QB's Los Angeles Rams into the back seat in the NFC's No. 1 seed race, but Stafford can't be blamed for the 38-37 loss. Stafford put up 457 passing yards, three TDs, and an 88.2 QBR to maintain his elite status atop the odds board.

Week 17 Opponent: MNF at Atlanta Falcons
12) QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +40000 --> This Week's Odds: +40000

It's been an up-and-down year for the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the entire Philadelphia Eagles offense. Jalen Hurts has come on lately, being more aggressive on the ground as Philly has won two straight, but it's too little too late. The only MVP Hurts has a shot at this season is if the Eagles run the table and return to the Super Bowl.

Week 17 Opponent: at Buffalo Bills
11) QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +10000 --> This Week's Odds: +40000

An overtime loss last week to the Chicago Bears, coupled with leaving the OT thriller with a concussion, has torpedoed Jordan Love's MVP chances. While he was a limited participant in Tuesday's practice, there is still a very good chance he does not see the field this weekend. Even if he does suit up, the mountain is too high to climb this year.

Week 17 Opponent: vs Baltimore Ravens
10) QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +40000 --> This Week's Odds: +40000

The Houston Texans might be the scariest team that no one wants to meet in the playoffs, but CJ Stroud is only a small part of that. Houston has a balanced attack, the best defense in the league, and has just been getting healthier. Speaking of health, Stroud did miss three games, and that matters in the MVP race.

Week 17 Opponent: at Los Angeles Chargers
9) WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +10000 --> This Week's Odds: +15000

Will Jaxon Smith-Njigba become the first ever wide receiver to win the MVP award? This year, no. Offensive Player of the Year, where he is the favorite (-185), sure, but we all know this is a quarterback award in the modern game. JSN leads all wideouts with 1,637 receiving yards and has a very outside shot of catching Calvin Johnson (1,964) for the single-season record. Even with all that, he's not beating out the top QBs on our list.

Week 17 Opponent: at Carolina Panthers
8) QB Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +10000 --> This Week's Odds: +15000

While Bo Nix has certainly progressed much faster than most thought over his first two seasons, the jury is still out on whether he is the type of player who can win games on his own. The Denver Broncos signal-caller has indeed shown his will to win and get the job done, but does he have the skill set of the league's elite quarterbacks?

Week 17 Opponent: at Kansas City Chiefs
7) QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +15000 --> This Week's Odds: +10000

Caleb Williams has shown this season that the Chicago Bears made the right move picking him first overall in 2024. While Williams' stats aren't a massive jump from his rookie campaign, his poise late in games and comeback wins this season have elevated him to a likely future MVP beyond 2026.

Week 17 Opponent: at San Francisco 49ers
6) QB Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +10000 --> This Week's Odds: +10000

Sam Darnold's wild comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night was as impressive a turnaround as in any game this season. The Seattle Seahawks pivot helped position his team as the top NFC seed going into Week 17. Not only did Darnold throw the game-tying touchdown pass late in the fourth, but he also tossed another in OT after the Rams had already taken it to the house. To complete the comeback, the former Minnesota Viking hooked up with Eric Saubert on the game-winning two-point conversion.

He may not always put up the numbers, but Darnold's 26 wins over this season and last lead all NFL quarterbacks. He won't pick up the MVP this year, but this is a quarterback completely unrecognizable from his days with the New York Jets.

Week 17 Opponent: at Carolina Panthers
5) QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +15000 --> This Week's Odds: +7500

Playing with a broken non-throwing hand since Week 13, Justin Herbert certainly deserves my made-up Toughest Quarterback of the Year award, but MVP is not going to happen. Despite having his best day since the injury, carving up a porous Dallas Cowboys defense to the tune of 300 passing yards, 42 rushing yards, and three total TDs, the road gets much harder, real quick.

Next up for Herbert and the Chargers, as they go after a fifth straight win, is the No. 1 defense in the league. Week 18 will be no picnic either, at Mile High, facing a Denver Broncos defense that leads the league in sacks (63) and is 10th in passing yards allowed (201.4 per game)

Week 17 Opponent: vs Houston Texans
4) QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +10000 --> This Week's Odds: +5000

The Jacksonville Jaguars keep winning, and Trevor Lawrence keeps reminding us why he was a highly touted prospect most of his life and the 2021 first overall pick. Jacksonville's sixth straight victory came against its toughest opponent of said streak, as it downed the AFC-leading Denver Broncos on the road. Lawrence accounted for four TDs and has 19 during the win streak. Along the way, the former Clemson star's MVP odds have gone from +30000 two weeks ago to +10000 last week to +5000 right now.

With a Week 17 meeting against a Colts squad that just gave up 440 yards of offense to the 49ers, Lawrence could again cut his odds in half by Week 18.

Week 17 Opponent: at Indianapolis Colts
3) QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +600 --> This Week's Odds: +2500

Josh Allen did not do enough in the Buffalo Bills' razor-thin Week 17 road win over the Cleveland Browns to make this a true three-horse race. Well behind our top two contenders, Allen was kept out of the endzone while throwing for just 130 yards. While the former MVP helped Buffalo win its fourth straight game, keeping them alive for the AFC East title, Allen will likely need to win out and put up huge numbers over his next two to have a chance.

Week 17 Opponent: vs Philadelphia Eagles
2) QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +380 --> This Week's Odds: +170

Drake Maye more than halved his odds to make the two-man race with our No. 1-ranked contender all that much more interesting for the final two weeks. The New England Patriots pivot put up 380 passing yards and orchestrated two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to erase an 11-point deficit and beat the Baltimore Ravens 28-24.

The Pats are still in contention for the No. 1 seed, matching the Denver Broncos' 12-3 record. Denver holds the tiebreak, so New England will need a little help. The script is flipped in the AFC East race, where Maye's squad has a one-game lead over the Buffalo Bills and holds the tiebreaker.

Week 17 Opponent: at New York Jets
1) QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: -260 --> This Week's Odds: -195

Matthew Stafford remains the odds-on favorite despite dropping last Thursday's wild OT game to the Seattle Seahawks. The loss may have pushed the veteran QB's Los Angeles Rams into the back seat in the NFC's No. 1 seed race, but Stafford can't be blamed for the 38-37 loss. Stafford put up 457 passing yards, three TDs, and an 88.2 QBR to maintain his elite status atop the odds board.

Week 17 Opponent: MNF at Atlanta Falcons
12) QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Previous Week's AP NFL Regular Season MVP Odds: +40000 --> This Week's Odds: +40000

It's been an up-and-down year for the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the entire Philadelphia Eagles offense. Jalen Hurts has come on lately, being more aggressive on the ground as Philly has won two straight, but it's too little too late. The only MVP Hurts has a shot at this season is if the Eagles run the table and return to the Super Bowl.

Week 17 Opponent: at Buffalo Bills

NFL MVP Top 12 Player Power Rankings Going Into Week 17

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