NFL MVP odds: Brady takes over as favorite after chaotic Week 9

In the most unpredictable week of this NFL season, Tom Brady didn't take a snap. And he's the MVP favorite because of it.

That's how dangerous Week 9 was for the award's top candidates, nearly all of whom saw their stock take a serious hit. The lone survivor was Brady, whose Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on a bye last week and avoided the carnage that swept through the NFL. As a result, the three-time MVP winner finds himself in pole position once again after a mostly blemish-free eight weeks of play:

That isn't to say Brady hasn't earned his spot atop the oddsboard. The 44-year-old leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (25) and ranks second in yards (2,650). He's on pace to shatter the single-season yardage record (5,477) with an assist from the new 17-game schedule.

Brady leapfrogged previous favorite Josh Allen, who easily had the worst week of the leading candidates. The Buffalo Bills quarterback was sacked four times and committed three turnovers - with two ending up in the hands of edge rusher Josh Allen - in Sunday's embarrassing 9-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Allen versus Allen showdown was mostly a fun sidebar, but it also drew plenty of attention to just how poorly the quarterback performed as the MVP front-runner.

Things weren't much better down the ballot, either. Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions to just one score in a prime-time loss to the Tennessee Titans. However, he still leads the NFL in QBR, which has predicted the MVP in nine of the 15 seasons with available data. Dak Prescott also lost steam with a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos, which followed a string of impressive performances for the Dallas Cowboys star.

Those who didn't even play on Sunday - aside from Brady - were also hurt by the Week 9 madness. Early season favorite Kyler Murray missed his first game of the year and Arizona Cardinals backup Colt McCoy starred in a road upset win, while 2020 MVP Aaron Rodgers faced plenty of criticism due to his COVID-19-related absence in the Green Bay Packers' loss on Sunday.

C Jackson Cowart is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on Twitter (@CJacksonCowart) or email him at [email protected].