- Jalen Hurts’ dropped to second in the latest MVP odds boards after the Eagles announced that he has a right shoulder injury.
- Hurts could miss the Eagles’ game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night.
- Patrick Mahomes is back as the NFL MVP betting favorite after losing the top spot to Hurts only last week.
Jalen Hurts’ MVP odds took a toll after the Philadelphia Eagles announced that its starting quarterback sprained his right shoulder during last week’s game against the Chicago Bears.
The injury is not considered long term and whatever time he misses will be about getting his throwing shoulder back to 100% strength and functionality. However, Hurts could miss his team’s Saturday game against the Dallas Cowboys. If Hurts won’t suit up against Dallas, Gardner Minshew is expected to get the start for the Eagles.
Hurts Has an Injured Shoulder But the Injury is Not Considered Long-Term
#Eagles star QB Jalen Hurts’ status is in doubt for Saturday’s game against the #Cowboys because of a sprained throwing shoulder suffered in the third quarter Sunday, sources tell me, @RapSheet and @MikeGarafolo. The injury isn’t considered long term. pic.twitter.com/k3sMH8aiPo
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 19, 2022
Hurts suffered the injury at the end of the third quarter of the game against the Bears when he was driven to the ground by Chicago defensive lineman Trevis Gipson after a 3-yard rush. Hurts stayed on the ground for some time after the hit but were able to continue and finish the game. He finished with 315 passing yards with two interceptions and rushed for 61 yards with three scores in a 25-20 win.
The 24-year-old has been on a historic run this season. Two weeks ago, Hurts became the first QB in NFL history to record back-to-back seasons with 10 rushing touchdowns. Hurts has a combined 35 touchdowns this season to match Randall Cunningham for the most in Eagles’ franchise history and his team still has three games left to play.
The 13-1 SU Eagles have the best record in the NFL this season and are just one win away from clinching the no. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. However, Hurts may not play on Saturday when Philadelphia tries to wrap up their division and home-field advantage throughout the entire postseason. The Cowboys were 1.5-point spread betting favorites on Monday morning and are now at -6 points as of Tuesday evening at SportsBetting.ag.
Betting Markets Shifted Towards Patrick Mahomes Too
The betting markets suddenly shifted today toward the Cowboys beating the Eagles, and toward Patrick Mahomes beating Jalen Hurts for MVP. https://t.co/GBZC5cilLY
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) December 19, 2022
Aside from impacting the odds for Saturday’s game between the Eagles and Cowboys, Jalen Hurts’ injury has also caused the NFL MVP betting markets to shift towards Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Just last week, Hurts had overtaken Mahomes as the MVP betting favorite for the first time this season but after the news on Hurts, the odds have flipped again.
Hurts had seen his MVP odds shorten to -160 last week at SportsBetting.ag after opening at +5000 odds and dropping to as long as +6600 before the start of the season. But after news of his injury, those odds are now down to +350 to +550, depending on which of the top NFL betting sites you are looking at. Meanwhile, Mahomes has jumped in front of Hurts again at a current price range of -250 to -330, again depending on where you are placing your bet.
Mahomes entered December at -160 odds with Hurts trailing him at +150. The Chiefs’ signal caller dropped to +165 last week when Hurts overtook him. Meanwhile, preseason MVP favorite Josh Allen has re-entered the MVP conversation after the gutsy win against the Dolphins the last time out. Allen is now third and at the +550 to +700 odds range with Bengals’ QB Joe Burrow coming in at 4th with odds of +550 to +750.
