Barkley enters MVP race following historic SNF showing

Saquon Barkley entered Sunday as a +6000 long shot to win MVP, tied with or behind 14 players. The Eagles star soared up the oddsboard following a historic Sunday Night Football performance.

Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to rush for at least 255 yards in a game. He also totaled over 300 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. Barkley now has the fourth-best odds to win MVP at +600 on theScore Bet and ESPN Bet behind Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Jared Goff.

The former Giant leads the NFL in total carries and rushing yards and is tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns. He's rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of the Eagles' 11 games this season.

Barkley's career-best campaign has also helped Philadelphia get off to a 9-2 start, win seven straight games, and build a substantial lead in the NFC East. The Eagles now have the second-best odds to win the NFC (+275) behind the 10-1 Lions (+130) and the fifth-best odds to win the Super Bowl (+650).

Barkley is the runaway favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year (-325), with Derrick Henry trailing at +350. But MVP has become a quarterback honor as running backs are valued less.

Adrian Peterson was the last running back to win MVP in 2012. Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006, Shaun Alexander in 2005, and Marshall Faulk in 2000 are the only running backs to win MVP this century. However, Barkley's value to the Eagles is insurmountable.

The tailback has rushed for 1,392 yards through 12 weeks, putting him on pace to surpass Eric Dickerson's 1984 single-season rushing record of 2,105. Records are skewed because the NFL added a 17th game in 2021, but just eight players in NFL history have rushed for over 2,000 yards in a campaign. Four of them have won MVP.

Voters can't ignore that Barkley is firmly in the MVP conversation, even if they're reluctant to gift a running back the award.

Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.