As the Indianapolis Colts fought their way through a tight game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10, they threw their game plan out the window once the game reached overtime.

In the NFL’s first game played in Berlin, the Colts took possession with 7:29 left in the extra period, and they did what everyone in the stadium knew they’d do: They gave the ball to Jonathan Taylor.

The league’s leading rusher had taken over the game late in regulation, scoring on an 83-yard run in the fourth quarter, and his dominance then spilled over into overtime. The Colts ran seven offensive plays in overtime. Six of them were Taylor runs. Taylor ended the affair with a walk-off touchdown with 3:36 remaining, finishing off a 244-yard, three-touchdown performance and adding fuel to the idea that he is a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player.

“You can feel it on the sidelines calling the game when guys are rolling,” coach Shane Steichen said. “He was rolling.”

It was a statement game in Taylor’s bid for MVP, but he’s far from a shoo-in.

In fact, Taylor has plenty of competition, including from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Colts and Chiefs meet Sunday in a pivotal AFC game in Kansas City (1 p.m., ET, CBS). As two of the prime candidates for MVP share the same field, others will be stating their cases elsewhere.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is a +150 favorite to win MVP, according to ESPN BET. The next-shortest odds are on New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye at +175, followed by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (+550), Taylor (+750) and Mahomes (+2200).

The 37-year-old Stafford is trying to become the oldest player to win MVP. The 23-year-old Maye could become one of the youngest. Taylor is trying to become the first running back to win since the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson 13 years ago. Ultimately, one of those players could make history.

Here’s a closer look at the race with Rams reporter Sarah Barshop, Patriots reporter Mike Reiss, Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg and Chiefs reporter Nate Taylor breaking it down, and sports betting analyst Pamela Maldonado providing unique insight.

Reason he might win it: The three-game stretch against the Jaguars, Saints and 49ers from Weeks 7 through 10 showed exactly how good Stafford and the Rams’ offense have been at times this season. In those three games, Stafford had 13 touchdowns passes and zero interceptions, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for four or more touchdowns and have zero interceptions in three consecutive games.

In fact, his historic streak dates back seven games. He has 22 touchdown passes and no picks in those games, which are the most TD passes without an interception over a seven-game span in NFL history.

Reason he might fall short: For as good as that three-game stretch was for Stafford, he and the Rams’ offense had a game Sunday that wasn’t up to their standards, according to wide receiver Davante Adams. Although the 21-19 win was against an excellent Seahawks defense, the Rams’ running game had almost as many yards (119) as Stafford had passing (130). The Rams have a well-rounded offense and could rely more on Kyren Williams and the ground game.

And although Stafford is playing some of the best football of his career, he also has never really been in the MVP conversation. Stafford is ninth in career passing yards and passing touchdowns but has never finished higher than eighth in MVP voting. — Barshop

Is the +150 price right? Stafford is priced like a leader because of one stat, 27 passing touchdowns, which leads the NFL. But the rest? He’s not in the top three in yards or efficiency, has no rushing volume, and the Rams are winning but not dominating. He’s priced this high only because voters love touchdown volume and because the Rams have a believable path to a 12-win season.

His profile, though, is high variance. When Stafford plays well, he’s spectacular, but when he’s off or plays a competent defense, he looks mortal, as shown by his 19-of-33, 57% completion performance against the Eagles. In other words, Stafford is overpriced. His current stat lines don’t justify being ahead of Maye in the race, making him vulnerable. — Maldonado

Reason he might win it: With Maye playing a leading role, the Patriots are tied for the NFL’s best record at 9-2 and have won eight straight games. He leads the NFL in completion percentage (71.9%) and passing yards (2,836) and is second in passer rating (113.2) behind only Lamar Jackson (115.5).

In averaging 8.6 air yards per attempt this season, Maye is just the second player since ESPN began tracking air yards in 2006 to complete 70% of his passes and average 8.5 air yards per attempt through his team’s first 11 games (minimum 200 pass attempts). The other player is Peyton Manning, who did it in 2009, when he was named MVP.

Reason he might fall short: He has five interceptions and lost two fumbles, which is an MVP-caliber pace but more than double the total picks for Stafford (2). Degree of difficulty could also work against him in a tiebreaker-type scenario as the Patriots’ schedule was filled with mostly lower-echelon teams. That shines a brighter spotlight on December games against the Buffalo Bills (home) and Baltimore Ravens (road), possibly giving Maye less margin for error in his case for MVP consideration. — Reiss

Is the +185 price right? This is the one price that makes complete sense. Maye has the volume, explosive plays and, most importantly, the rookie-turnaround storyline that voters love. You can poke holes in the wins, but you can’t poke holes in Maye’s production. New England is leading the AFC East, but is it in the same tier as AFC’s heavyweights? The Patriots are winning but not in a way that suggests they’re built to run through Baltimore, Kansas City, Indy or even Denver in January.

The game logs and scoring margins all say that New England is grinding, making Maye’s price fair. He probably closes as the favorite if the Patriots finish with 12-plus wins. — Maldonado

Reason he might win it: The reigning MVP is once again willing the Bills’ offense to success with his arm and his legs, and that was on display in his six-touchdown performance in the win vs. the Buccaneers on Sunday. Despite a corps of receiving options that has been lacking throughout the season and many players moving in and out of the lineup due to injury, Allen has reminded what he is capable of. No Bills receiver is on track for 1,000 receiving yards or has caught more than four touchdowns.

Allen has 28 combined passing and rushing touchdowns this season, his most through 10 games in his career (he had 21 through 10 last season).

Reason he might fall short: Turnovers and the Bills’ run game. After setting near impossible-to-repeat turnover numbers in 2024 (six interceptions and two fumbles), he has already thrown seven interceptions and lost one fumble. At times this year, his decision-making has not been what he displayed last season in part due to the issues with the receivers. The success of the run game could also hurt Allen’s case as running back James Cook III and the offensive line are putting up big numbers with the team leading the NFL in rushing yards per game (147.6). Cook is on pace for a career season and is having a larger role in the offense with 18.2 attempts per game, up from 12.9 in 2024. — Getzenberg

Is the +550 price right? The odds don’t match the real output. Allen’s numbers are good but not MVP level. His interception count alone removes him from the top tier. His passing totals aren’t leading anything and the Bills’ inconsistency weakens his résumé further. The price is about voter familiarity, ceiling outcomes, highlight plays and market bias toward his best version. I’d say this is the most mispriced play near the top of the MVP board.

His odds reflect hope rather than production. — Maldonado

Reason he might win it: Impact. Taylor arguably has more of it than any skill player in the NFL this season. You can judge it by his propensity for finding the end zone, with his 15 rushing scores leading the NFL. Taylor, on average, scores a touchdown every 12.6 rushes.

Then, there’s his explosiveness. Taylor’s 28 runs of 10 yards or longer is second in the NFL (Miami’s De’Von Achane is No. 1 with 29) and an impressive 30.7% of his rushing attempts result in a first down. There have been three rushes of 80 yards or longer in the NFL this season, and Taylor has two of them. He also leads the league with a 6.0 yards-per-carry average.

Jonathan Taylor turned the game around with one run 🤯

🔹 78 rush yards over expected
🔹 81.8 yards after contact
🔹 +30.5% win probability added

(via @NextGenStats) pic.twitter.com/aiBvDRscLb

— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) November 9, 2025

Reason he might fall short: For one, he’s a running back. Taylor would have to buck some significant history to become the first running back to win MVP since Peterson in 2012. Running backs have won just four times since 2000, and the award has increasingly become quarterback-centric with the evolution of rules that cater to the passing game.

Running backs are also vulnerable to game situations. If the Colts trail in a game, as they did against Pittsburgh in Week 9, Taylor could wind up with another game where he is sparsely used. He had a season-low 14 carries in that game for 45 yards. — Holder

Is the +650 price right? Taylor’s season is outrageous. He leads in rushing yards, rushing scores and explosive runs, and is sitting at over 1,100 yards in 10 games with 15 scores. That’s elite production, no doubt.

The problem is the odds don’t actually match the reality of the award. Running backs win MVP only when the season is historic and the QB field fades. Taylor is having an elite year but not historic enough (yet) — not unless he pushes toward 2,000 yards and 20-plus scores and Indy wins 13 games. — Maldonado

Reason he might win it: Mahomes is more than talented enough to go on a heater, one where he leads the Chiefs to seven consecutive victories to help the team finish with a 12-5 record. The Chiefs don’t have a strong running attack, so Mahomes’ arm will be relied on heavily, which could lead to him leading the league in touchdown passes.

Entering Week 12, Mahomes is seventh in the league with 18 touchdowns. One area where Mahomes will have to improve is intermediate passes. In the loss to the Broncos on Sunday, Mahomes completed only one of nine passes where the ball went 15 or more yards downfield, his second-worst completion percentage (11%) on those throws in his career (minimum five attempts).

Reason he might fall short: Mahomes has struggled more often than usual, especially on the road. In five games away from Arrowhead Stadium, Mahomes has committed three turnovers and been sacked 10 times.

The Chiefs not winning the AFC West for the first time in 10 years is also not going to be favorable for Mahomes’ chances. At this point, there are other talented players who are performing at a more consistent level, including Stafford, Taylor and Maye. — Taylor

Is the +2200 price right? The odds match the stats, but the market is overreacting to fatigue. Mahomes is not playing like an MVP, with six interceptions to go with the TD passes. His efficiency has been inconsistent, and Kansas City has real flaws. Mahomes is priced correctly based on production.

The problem is the market is assuming the Chiefs won’t rip off a 6-1 finish and jump to the 1-seed. If they do, then Mahomes rockets to the top overnight. If they don’t, his chances are dead.

Right now, the stats reflect a non-MVP season, and the price reflects the Mahomes tax being removed, making him the one long shot who can still nuke the board. — Maldonado

The minute sports fans found out there was a new American pope and he’d been born in Chicago, every American sports fan had one thought: was he a Cubs or White Sox fan?

Soon, news emerged that he was a White Sox fan — not without a false report, however, that he was a Cubs fan — and shortly thereafter footage emerged that not only was the newly christened Pope Leo XIV a fan, he’d been in the stands for the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox won in a series sweep.

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Pope Leo, born Robert Prevost, was elected as pope in May of 2025 and then one month later it was announced that my Vanderbilt law school friend and classmate Justin Ishbia was buying the Chicago White Sox.

The two of us were chatting about fun ways Justin could introduce himself to Chicago sports fans and I tossed out an idea — we should travel to the Vatican and invite Pope Leo to throw out the first pitch at a planned new White Sox stadium.

After all, Pope Leo was a big enough White Sox fan that he’d attended the World Series 20 years ago as a fan in the crowd. Sure, he’s the pope now, but deep down he, like all of us, is a diehard sports fan.

We were both convinced the idea was a good one, but it presented a challenge: how do you get a meeting with the pope to invite him to throw out the first pitch?

Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful ahead of his inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, on May 18, 2025. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

POPE LEO XIV CALLS OUT CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION AMID LATEST MASSACRE OF CIVILIANS IN AFRICAN NATION

An Invitation to the Pope 

It’s not like you can just call the Vatican and ask to speak to the pope’s people.

Ultimately we hit on our answer: Vatican ambassador Brian Burch, who lived in Chicago with his family prior to his confirmation as ambassador.

Luckily, Ambassador Burch loved the idea and, this morning in Vatican City, Justin and his wife Kristen met the pope, delivered a team autographed 2005 White Sox World Series replica jersey, and conveyed the first pitch invitation to Pope Leo, who said yes so long as his schedule permits. (It turns out the pope is kind of busy).

So, the result, as many of you have likely seen on social media already, is an awesome one — the first ever American-born pope will hopefully be throwing out the first pitch in a new Chicago White Sox stadium, which will potentially mark the first time the pope has visited Chicago since 1979.

Pope Leo XIV prays over members of the international media in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on May 12, 2025.  (Domenico Stinellis)

Let’s hope it’s a strike.

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And that Pope Leo can help return the magic of the 2005 season for White Sox fans.

DUBAI: Pakistan’s star batsman Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have made notable gains in the latest ICC ODI rankings after delivering standout performances in the team’s emphatic 3-0 series victory over Sri Lanka.

In the updated batters rankings, Babar climbed one position to claim sixth place with 722 rating points, while Salman Ali Agha maintained his 16th position.

Rizwan enjoyed a significant rise, jumping five places to 22nd. Opener Fakhar Zaman has also benefited from the series, moving up five spots to 26th with 589 points.

Meanwhile, other Pakistani batters saw a decline. Opener Saim Ayub dropped three places to 38th, while left-handed batter Imam-ul-Haq slipped seven spots to 54th with 516 points.

In a major shake-up at the top, former Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been dethroned as the number one ODI batter, with New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell claiming the top spot. 

Sharma now sits second, Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran dropped to third, and the Indian duo of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli hold the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

In the bowlers’ rankings, Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed makes a remarkable jump of 11 places to enter the top 10, now sitting ninth with 624 points.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi drops five spots to 21st, while right-arm pacer Haris Rauf climbs five places to 23rd with 562 points. 

Another pacer, Naseem Shah, falls three places to 36th, whereas Mohammad Wasim Jr makes a massive leap of 20 spots to 64th. Spinner Mohammad Nawaz, however, slips seven places to 71st.

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan continues to dominate as the number one ODI bowler, followed by England’s Jofra Archer in second and South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj in third.