Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa Tops MVP Market After Beating Patriots

Who says beating the New England Patriots doesn’t carry weight anymore?

The Dolphins moved to 2-0 on the young season with a win over Bill Belichick’s squad Sunday night, taking sole place of first place in the AFC East in the process. The result of that victory didn’t only impact Miami’s standing as a team, however.

The victory had a pretty large impact on Tua Tagovailoa’s spot in the MVP race, as well.

Tagovailoa has rocketed up betting boards in the first two weeks of the season, as a Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers shortened his NFL MVP odds from +2200 to +800 and a Week 2 victory saw them fall to +600 — where the 25-year-old now sits as the league favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

2023 NFL MVP Odds
Tua Tagovailoa: +500
Patrick Mahomes: +600
Josh Allen: +1000
Jalen Hurts: +1000
Trevor Lawrence: +1200
Joe Burrow: +1200
Lamar Jackson: +1200
Justin Herbert: +1600
Dak Prescott: +1600
Brock Purdy: +2000

The Dolphins’ victory over the Patriots wasn’t exactly a story of Tagovailoa’s dominance, but instead an illustration of how Miami can be successful if things fall in place.

Tagovailoa completed 70% of his passes for 249 yards against New England, but connected on just one touchdown compared to one interception. That’s a subpar day considering he has (notorious hater of Patriots fans) Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle running routes. In comparison, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones completed 73% of his passes for 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The difference? Tagovailoa’s team won. That’s kind of what the award has become, which is a nice thing to know before you go and place your next MVP bet. The Dolphins will face off against the Denver Broncos in Week 3, which should present another challenge for Tagovailoa and the offense. If they win, however, those odds will only continue to improve.