The two players who have battled for the NFL MVP award over the last few seasons entered the 2025 campaign as the two favorites. As luck would have it, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson faced off on Sunday night during the Week 1 action, and one of the quarterbacks has taken a noticeable lead after his team’s performance during the prime time classic.
Josh Allen Is The Favorite To Win NFL MVP After Week 1
Allen and Jackson came into the year with essentially identical MVP odds, depending on the sportsbook. They were both listed around +500, with guys like Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes trailing though not far behind. But as of Monday morning, the Buffalo Bills’ signal caller is a clear favorite, at least for now.
| Player | Odds |
| Josh Allen | +350 |
| Lamar Jackson | +475 |
| Joe Burrow | +750 |
| Patrick Mahomes | +850 |
| Jayden Daniels | +850 |
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Josh Allen is now listed as a +350 favorite to take home the most prestigious individual award that the NFL has to offer. Jackson is still in the second spot at +475, while Burrow is back at +750. Mahomes is now tied with Jayden Daniels at +850 to round out the top-5.
Wild Finish Against Baltimore Propels Bills
Allen has a classic fourth-quarter performance to thank for his rise to the top. Things looked bleak for Buffalo late in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s game against Baltimore, as the Bills trailed by 15 points with just under five minutes to play. But Josh Allen flipped a switch late in the game, and led his team on an incredible comeback after being given a 1.1% chance of victory according to the analytics.
The Bills turned an ugly 40-25 score into a 41-40 victory in utterly thrilling fashion, making the contest an early candidate for NFL “Game Of The Year” that will be hard to top.
Josh Allen in the 4th quarter:
16/21
269 TOTAL YDS
3 TDsThe first player this century to throw for 250+ yards in the 4th quarter of a win. pic.twitter.com/DEk1y4afzt
— Real Sports (@realapp_) September 8, 2025
251 of Allen’s 394 total passing yards came in the fourth quarter alone, and he accounted for three touchdowns during the final frame to lead his team back from what seemed to be certain defeat in their first game of the season.
With the rest of the AFC East teams taking losses in Week 1, the Bills start the season alone in first place in the division. They’ll travel to New York next week to take on the 0-1 Jets.
