And just like that, the 2025 NFL season has already reached its midway point. But there will be absolutely nobody who correctly predicted the script of the campaign thus far.
The Kansas City Chiefs endured the worst start of the Patrick Mahomes era, with onlookers writing them off after just five weeks, only for the Chiefs to roar back into familiar territory as Super Bowl favorites by reeling off three straight wins. And their topsy-turvy campaign is just the tip of the iceberg. Two of their biggest AFC rivals in Baltimore and Cincinnati have seen their campaigns decimated by injuries, while the Buffalo Bills haven’t performed as the world beaters they were billed to be in the preseason.
Over in the NFC, a similar story is being told. The reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles haven’t looked convincing, while the expensively assembled Green Bay Packers continue to churn out wins, albeit in less than spectacular fashion. But even still, it is indeed KC that online sports betting sites favor.
The latest of the Bovada sports betting odds currently list the Chiefs as the +450 outright frontrunner to claim the Lombardi once again this season. Much of that lofty billing is courtesy of the blistering displays of their mercurial quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, who has returned to form after statistically the worst year of his career in 2024. He, too, is now a favorite, specifically the +140 favorite to be named MVP, but who are his main rivals for the coveted prize? Let’s take a look.
Patrick Mahomes (+140)
How do you define greatness? For Patrick Mahomes, it’s the ability to shift the axis of a season—again. Dismiss talk of the past two “down” years; the Chiefs’ superstar has restored his crown in 2025, unleashing a first-half campaign for the ages. Over 2,000 yards, a career-best in efficiency, and (just for show) his 300th career touchdown—his résumé is now gilded in both statistics and spectacle.
The three-time Super Bowl champion has piloted Kansas City from the uncertainty of an 0-2 opening—when the offensive line looked lost and the receiving corps resembled musical chairs—to a pre-bye surge that now has the Chiefs perched at 5-3, seventh in points scored, and once more plotting a march toward history: matching the Buffalo Bill’s record of four straight Big Game appearances.
The former Texas Tech standout achieved all this while carrying a roster strained by missing stars and testing the limits of Andy Reid’s strategic arsenal. Now, the likes of Rashee Rice have returned, and it couldn’t have come at a better time; the Arrowhead outfit stares down the barrel of an end-of-season gauntlet, as two games against the divisional rival Broncos, as well as the high-flying Colts, lie in wait.
Rashee Rice is back so Mahomes busted out the no-look pass for him 🔥🪄
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) October 19, 2025
Can Mahomes bend the second-half schedule to his will? If he does, a third MVP trophy will place him alongside the game’s true immortals. But in Kansas City, the expectations are always higher and the spotlight forever unblinking.
Josh Allen (+350)
What separates an MVP from a mere contender? This year, it might be the ferocity and restraint that Josh Allen has fused into a nightmarish combo for opponents. The reigning holder’s 2025 stat line crackles with menace: career-low five interceptions, league-high QB rushing scores, and the ability to erase defensive schemes with a flick of his arm or a thunderous run through the trenches.
Allen’s opening week masterpiece—394 aerial yards and four touchdowns, two with his legs—set a pace Buffalo has rarely relinquished. Sitting at 5-2, with the NFL’s fourth-ranked offense and a historic streak of 24 straight turnover-battle wins, the Bills are not just threatening; they’re dictating terms. Yet for Allen, redemption is a double-edged sword: triumph in the regular season has never been his problem, but January ghosts still haunt Orchard Park.
A second-half schedule heavy on high-stakes showdowns—Chiefs, Ravens, pivotal AFC East bouts—will test both his composure and playoff mettle. Should Allen continue this error-scorching, multi-faceted assault, he isn’t just vying for another MVP; he may well lead Buffalo to that elusive maiden Lombardi Trophy. Of course, if he is to do that, he will have to somehow find a way past Mahomes and the Chiefs, something he has failed to do in four of the last five seasons.
Drake Maye (+450)
Occasionally, a young quarterback arrives and detonates every expectation. Drake Maye is weaving that miracle for New England, reclaiming the post-Brady era’s lost energy in a flash of right-arm brilliance. The numbers demand a double-take: a league-best 75.2% completion rate, more than 2,000 passing yards, and a perfect passer rating on deep balls. The upshot? The Patriots have gone from preseason afterthought to 6-2 division leaders—their best start since 2019.
Maye is more than numbers. Mike Vrabel’s culture shift and a rejuvenated, opportunistic defense provide steel, but the 23-year-old’s confidence has reanimated Foxborough’s echoing cauldron. Defenses will tighten the screws: showdowns with the Falcons and Ravens—both top-10 units—will test not just Maye’s nerve, but his line’s resolve.
Yet there’s an unmistakable sense that the game is slowing down for him, and the season is accelerating at his pace. If he weathers the test, surpasses 4,200 yards, and keeps the Patriots dreaming deep into January, this could be the birth of a dynasty’s new chapter.
