Joe Burrow moves up in the MVP race despite not playing in Week 10

It has been a wonky season for Joe Burrow but the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback has continued to show that he is a franchise player.

After starting off the season with four interceptions, he's thrown just two picks in the eight games following that poor start. On the year, Burrow has 2,535 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and six interceptions while rushing for 141 yards and four scores.

A few weeks ago, it seemed pretty bleak that Burrow would have any shot at winning MVP but he moved up in the standings this week despite not even playing a game.

Joe Burrow has the sixth-best odds to be crowned MVP

Burrow's MVP odds sit at +2000 per FanDuel, putting him behind Patrick Mahomes (+135), Jalen Hurts (+340), Josh Allen (+500), Tua Tagovailoa (+550), and Lamar Jackson (+1200). Allen's stock in the MVP race plummeted after that lost fumble he had in the waning seconds of the wild Bills-Vikings game and then also throwing an interception that sealed the game for his Bills. MVPs don't make those kind of mistakes in key games.

Mahomes and Hurts being the two favorites for MVP make sense. Mahomes hasn't missed a beat despite Tyreek Hill no longer being in Kansas City and Jalen Hurts has the Eagles offense humming. I'd put Tagovailoa over Allen since he has overcome expectations this season and the Dolphins are a legitimate contender as a result.

Burrow probably doesn't end up being named the MVP but after the start he had to the season, the fact that he's still in the race is a testament to how well he's played down the stretch. The Bengals need Burrow to play well if they want to make a run at the playoffs, which as of now, they'd be excluded from if the season ended today.

At the end of the day, MVP probably doesn't matter to Burrow. He'd much rather get this team a Super Bowl championship. It's still fun to discuss his odds though and if he has a realistic shot to win the award.