Lamar Jackson becomes the favorite to win NFL MVP

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has bigger goals than winning a third MVP award. He might win it anyway.

Jackson is the current favorite, +225 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is second on the list of odds, at +450.

The others with odds better than 10-1 are Bills quarterback Josh Allen (+500) and Lions quarterback Jared Goff (+850).

The reality is that voting happens in the days following Week 18, when the playoff trees are set. And the quarterbacks from the top team in each conference become the de facto finalists to win the MVP award.

Ravens running back Derrick Henry, who is currently on pace to break the single-season rushing record but who is a 40-1 long shot for MVP, could end up taking votes from Jackson.

Anyone interested in betting on the MVP award (and you might have more fun cutting the dollar bills into paper dolls) should think first and foremost about which teams are most likely to snare the top seeds. That’s where the MVP is likely to come from.