After just one week of football, there���s a new co-favorite to win the 2023 NFL MVP Award: The Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa.
With help from Tyreek Hill, Tagovailoa carried the Dolphins to a 36-34 win in a thriller against the Chargers to put the football world on notice.
Tagovailoa threw for 466 yards and three touchdowns while completing nearly two-thirds of his passes, finishing the game with a 110.0 passer rating and the top Pro Football Focus passing grade for the week (92.8).
The performance instantly inserted Tagovailoa into the NFL MVP conversation after opening the season as a +2200 long shot to win the award before the season.
Now, Tagovailoa is tied with Patrick Mahomes at +600 on the top of the NFL MVP odds board at BetMGM.
While there’s still a ton of season left, Tagovailoa already has a significant head start on his competitors and a signature win on his resume.
Tagovailoa’s 466 passing yards were the second-most of his career and 122 more than Kirk Cousins, who had the second-most passing yards during Week 1.
After a shaky loss by the Bills and Aaron Rodgers’ injury on “Monday Night Football,” the AFC East is looking a bit weaker than generally believed coming into the year.
Miami is now a slight favorite (+135, BetMGM) to win the division, which would go a long way toward helping Tagovailoa take home the MVP trophy.
The worry with Tagovailoa is, of course, injuries.
Last season, the fourth-year quarterback missed four games due to multiple concussions.
But he was unstoppable when he was on the field, throwing for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns with eight interceptions and leading the Dolphins to an 8-5 record in his starts.
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There is a chance you’d be buying high on Tagovailoa if you bet on him now.
But next week, the Dolphins will play divisional rival Patriots on “Sunday Night Football.”
If Tagovailoa shows out again against a much stronger New England defense with the entire country watching, don’t be surprised if oddsmakers make him the sole favorite.