The NFL regular season has ended, and while the playoffs are now the focus, it’s natural to start thinking about who might be crowned the league’s MVP.

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson — both dual-threat quarterbacks for teams that have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations — have been the favorites, according to oddsmakers for much of the back half of the season. The two have put up big numbers while leading their teams to big wins.

Still, they’re far from alone. A few players had seasons that in other years might have guaranteed an MVP award. Saquon Barkley had one of the best seasons by a running back in NFL history, while Joe Burrow threw for just shy of 5,000 yards, leading the league in multiple passing categories.

Here’s are the latest NFL MVP odds as of Thursday, Jan. 9, courtesy of DraftKings.

NFL MVP odds after end of regular season

1. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (-450)

As the regular season wound to a close, oddsmakers leaned more and more toward Allen. The dual threat had more passing and rushing touchdowns last season, but Allen took big steps in avoiding mistakes. He threw just six interceptions in 483 pass attempts and was sacked 14 times or 2.82% of his dropbacks.

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His ability to put up big numbers while playing virtually error-free football has guided the Bills to a 13-4 record and has Allen poised to claim the NFL’s top individual honor.

2. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (+320)

Jackson has been Allen’s closest competitor for the award in recent weeks, but the consensus seems to be that he will narrowly miss out on his third MVP crown.

Still, Jackson has led the league in yards per attempt as a passer and as a rusher. That helped the Ravens quarterback post a touchdown to interception ratio of 41 to four. Jackson’s candidacy might have been hampered by Baltimore’s inconsistency as a team, though the Ravens did recover to win the AFC North with a 12-5 record.

3. RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles (+8000)

Barkley missed out on a chance for the all-time single-season rushing record when Philadelphia opted to sit its star running back in a meaningless Week 18 game. That pretty much ended his MVP chances. He’s third in oddsmakers’ eyes.

Still, his 2,005-yard season ranks eighth all-time, and the Eagles hope that the rest bolsters their hopes of turning their 14-3 season into a run for another Super Bowl title.

4. QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (+10000)

For most of the NFL’s history, leading the league in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43) would make a player a slam-dunk MVP winner. However, Burrow’s tremendous 2024-25 season was undermined by the Bengals’ miserable start. The team missed the playoffs despite finishing with a five-game winning streak.

Between Cincinnati’s struggles outside the quarterback position and the play of Allen, Jackson and Barkley, Burrow’s odds to win the MVP award are remote.

5. QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (+15000)

Goff and the Lions finished with the NFC’s best record (15-2), and the veteran quarterback finished second in yards (4,629), yards per attempt (8.6) and fourth in touchdowns (37). Goff was right there with Jackson and Burrow as a passer and led Detroit to a top record..

Nonetheless, his odds are very long, underlining the gap between Allen, Jackson and the rest of the MVP candidates.

The NFL gods giveth, and they taketh away.

On a day when the Philadelphia Eagles got some good news about quarterback Jalen Hurts, they got some not-so-great news on one of his favorite targets, wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Dealing with a nagging knee injury, Brown was absent from Thursday’s practice after exiting early on Wednesday. While the Eagles say it’s part of the plan, it remains to be seen whether that is the truth or simply gamesmanship ahead of the team’s wild-card clash against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Here’s the latest on Brown ahead of wild-card weekend:

A.J. Brown injury update

Brown (knee/rest) was listed as a DNP at practice on Thursday, according to the Eagles’ injury report.

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That represents a downgrade for the star receiver, who logged a limited session on Wednesday. However, there was minimal concern from the Eagles, since the absence seems to be part of the plan.

Regardless, any downgrade is also a troublesome sign, even if it is planned. Brown left practice quickly on Wednesday and did not return.

Brown has been consistently listed with the knee issue on the Eagles’ injury report since Week 16. He hasn’t turned in a full practice since Friday, Dec. 27. Part of that is thanks to Philadelphia’s decision to rest their starters in Week 18, which was a meaningless game since the Eagles were already locked into the No. 2 seed.

The team still expects Brown to play on Sunday, but this one will be worth monitoring, especially if he suffers a setback.

More importantly, Brown will go into Sunday’s contest without any practice reps with Hurts since the middle of December. The quarterback has been in the league’s concussion protocol for the last two weeks, meaning the two might have to shake off some rust in the wild-card contest.

What is A.J. Brown’s injury?

Brown has been dealing with a nagging knee injury for the last few weeks, something that has cost him plenty of practice time over the last month. The Eagles have also been nursing the ailment by giving the receiver some rest days, but the injury hasn’t prevented Brown from playing. He was one of the team’s players that were given Week 18 off to prepare for the playoffs.

Who are the Eagles playing in the playoffs?

The Eagles are set to host the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of their Week 1 game that took place in Brazil. Philadelphia won that game 34-29.

A.J. Brown stats

Brown finished the regular season having hauled in 67 of 97 targets, while posting 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns. It was the third straight season he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, which coincides with his arrival in Philadelphia. Brown only managed to play in 13 games, missing three with a hamstring injury early in the season and then Week 18 when the team rested starters.

It’s been a frustrating year at times for the star receiver, who said the passing attack needed to improve following a poor performance against the Panthers. He was also rumored to be at odds with Hurts, per teammate Brandon Graham, who later walked back the comments.

MIAMI — Cavan Sullivan, the 15-year-old Major League Soccer prodigy, wants to play for the United States in World Cup 2026.

He knows he might sound like “a pipe dream.”

You can’t blame the young, Philadelphia Union standout from dreaming big.

“A pipedream is to be in the 2026 World Cup. I’ll be only 16 years old. Just to be able to play in front of my home country, representing the first team of the U.S. national team will be absurd,” Sullivan told USA TODAY Sports during MLS Media Day on Thursday.

“At the end of the day, I want to win a World Cup, win a Champions League, win a Premier League and live up to my potential. MLS Cup is definitely on my list in the next three years.”

Sullivan might not be a household name just yet, but he’s oozing with potential.

He became the youngest athlete to debut in an American sports league last July. He was handpicked by Lionel Messi and adidas as one of 10 promising soccer players to be on the “Messi+10” team and wear Messi’s F50 cleats. He’s got three years to play and gain experience with the Union before he’s transferred to Manchester City in England when he turns 18.

“I’m just taking it every day at a time. Obviously, there’s a lot to look forward to in the future. But right now, my main focus is Philadelphia,” Sullivan said.  

“I understand that without this, that doesn’t matter. I need to show I can perform in the MLS before I can perform in the Premier League. So, a lot of work to do here.”

Sullivan has the potential to be the American soccer version of Caitlin Clark, the 22-year-old women’s basketball star who singlehandedly elevated the sport in the United States in the last two years.

He could even be like Lamine Yamal, the 17-year-old soccer star who broke onto the scene during last summer’s European Championships for Spain.

The U.S. men’s national team is far from a World Cup favorite. Just getting out of the group stage, which they didn’t do during last summer’s Copa America, would be an accomplishment.

The Americans need a spark, outside of captain Christian Pulisic, to take the next step in the sport internationally.

Maybe, Sullivan could light the fuse.

Sullivan did not want to divulge if he’s had any contact with the U.S. national team, which recently hired new coach Mauricio Pochettino to steer the program.

Sullivan finished last year training with the U.S. under-17 national team. He’ll likely play in February’s Concacaf U-17 championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar in 2025.

Perhaps, the international experience leads to an opportunity at the World Cup for Sullivan.

“We’re a growing country in terms of international football. If we want to be the best country in terms of soccer, we’re going to need to raise our standards for sure,” he said.

Just as important, Sullivan hopes to see more action with the Union first-team in 2025 to help his dream become a reality.

Last season, Sullivan played in just three MLS games with the Philadelphia Union first team, while being an available substitute in 10 other contests.

He did gain some experience with the Union MLS NEXT Pro team, scoring five goals with three assists in 17 games.   

Sullivan was 14 years and 293 days old when he made his debut for the Union on when he entered in the 85th minute of Philadelphia’s 5-1 win over the New England Revolution on July 17, 2024.

He was even younger than Freddy Adu – who was often heralded as “the next Pele” – when Adu made his debut for D.C. United in 2004 at 14 years, 306 days old.

Maybe, history repeats itself again with Sullivan and Adu in the next year or two.

Adu was 16 years old when he became the youngest USMNT player in 2006.

“If I want to accomplish my dreams, this is a really crucial year for me. If I break out this year, the dream of mine becomes way easier,” Sullivan said.  

“I think this year is probably the biggest of my life so far. And 2024 was pretty big. This is the next step.”

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Playoff football has arrived.

Sunday will feature the postseason debuts of two rookie quarterbacks, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels both in the role of road dogs. Nix’s Denver Broncos will attempt to upset the Bills in Buffalo in the day’s first game, while Daniels’ Washington Commanders, who lost at Tampa in the season’s opening weekend, get a rematch against the Buccaneers on ‘Sunday Night Football.’ In between, the Philadelphia Eagles host the Green Bay Packers in another rematch from Week 1.

The final matchup will occur in the final Monday night game of the 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings slight favorites to beat the NFC West champion LA Rams on the road, though the Vikes lost to them in SoFi Stadium back in Week 8.

The picks are in from our panel of USA TODAY Sports NFL experts:

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(Odds provided by BetMGM)

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Would ya lookie here. Seems there’s quite the conundrum brewing inside the rabid and unwaveringly loyal SEC fanbase.

All for One has quickly become None for Texas.

The Longhorns – a newbie and the last remaining conference team in the College Football Playoff – are the last hope for the loud and proud SEC fanbase to continue boasting of college football dominance. But the old school that never hesitates supporting all things Ess Eee See isn’t buying it. 

In fact, Friday’s Cotton Bowl semifinal against loathsome Ohio State has devolved into which makes you want to puke more? Ohio State and the subpar Big Ten (because they’re surely not a “rival” of the SEC), or Texas — a poison pill the devoted SEC fanbase now realizes it has swallowed? 

“I would say 80 percent of our audience is rooting against Texas to win it all,” said Michael Bratton, host and owner of That SEC Podcast, the highest-rated SEC show on Apple and Spotify podcasts and an organic show that feeds off the true North of the biggest, baddest conference in college athletics. 

Its passionate fans.

“If it were anyone but Texas, things might be different,” Bratton continued. “But the arrogance from those (Texas) fans has already rubbed most the wrong way.”

Well, well, well. It didn’t take long for Texas to find itself in the all too familiar place as villain, lumbering into the SEC with all the subtlety of a Bernese mountain dog. 

It has taken all of four months, and SEC loyalist already have figured out what the college football world has known forever. There’s no love for the Longhorns outside of those whose blood runs burnt orange. 

Texas is its own island, no matter conference affiliation, no matter public proclamations of love and fealty. The most affluent college sports program, the most arrogant sports program — because they can, and because we’re Texas and you’re not.

Texas ran roughshod over the old Southwest Conference, until everyone else decided the only way to keep up was to cheat. When the SWC later imploded and four teams were absorbed into the Big Eight in 1996 to form the Big 12, guess what quickly happened? 

The conference offices moved Kansas City, Missouri, to – I know this is going to shock you – Dallas. I’m sure that was just a coincidence.

In 2010, the Big 12 was on the verge of disbanding because (again, a shocker) Texas wasn’t happy with sharing media rights revenue and threatened to leave for the Pac-10. So ESPN and Fox pooled together an equal sharing agreement that made all Big 12 parties happy — and ESPN then created the Longhorn Network. 

A 24-hour network devoted to all things Texas. For the tidy sum of $300 million over 20 years. 

That cozy and profitable arrangement (for Texas, not ESPN) lasted 13 years, during which Texas won the Big 12 once. The Longhorns won 68 percent of all games as a member of the Big 12 (243-113), and four league titles in 28 seasons.

Yet this is college football royalty.

This inevitable Texas envy (hatred?) reached a boiling point earlier this season, when multiple SEC coaches and athletic directors, speaking anonymously to USA TODAY because of the sensitivity of the subject, said they weren’t thrilled about the fortunate scheduling given to the Longhorns in their inaugural season.

While the SEC office says the schedules were made with a detailed 10-year look at previous schedules and metrics, there’s no denying that the first true road game of the season for Texas didn’t happen until the last weekend in October — at historical SEC lightweight Vanderbilt.

Then Texas got the worst of the Power Four conference champions (Clemson) in the first round of the playoff. That was followed by the most surprising power conference champion (Arizona State) in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal, where an obvious targeting call that could’ve led to a Sun Devils victory in regulation, was reviewed and ignored and Texas eventually won in overtime. 

It is here where we reach the disastrous dilemma for dyed in the wool SEC fans: the Cotton Bowl semifinal. The fact that 80 percent of the audience of a wildly popular SEC podcast has tuned out of all things Texas is a stark reminder of what Texas has always been — and always will be. 

“It’s a worst-case scenario, one of them has to advance,” Bratton said. “Anyone but Texas and Ohio State is the general consensus from our fans.”

Finally, some true SEC sensibility.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.