NFL fans tab Lions Jared Goff as mid-season MVP

The results from our latest SB Nation Reacts Survey are in and NFL fans believe Lions Jared Goff is the mid-season NFL MVP

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Typically, we focus our SB Nation Reacts Results article on the questions that we pose to Detroit Lions fans, and while we will get to this week’s results in a second, we wanted to start by addressing the results of a national survey.

Earlier this week, SB Nation asked NFL fans to vote in several surveys, one of which pondered: Who has been the MVP of the season so far? NFL fans had five options to choose from (all quarterbacks), based on NFL Season Awards odds presented by FanDuel Sportsbook, and here’s what the betting lines look like at the time of this survey:

• Josh Allen, Buffalo +270
• Lamar Jackson, Ravens +380
• Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs +500
• Jared Goff, Lions +600
• Jayden Daniels, Commanders +900

And the results show that Goff landed at the top of the results, with 31% of the votes:

Fresh off NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors, and leading the Lions to five straight victories, Goff’s recent success is at the forefront of many NFL fans’ minds. “Mr. Perfect” has been playing some of the best ball of his career and ranks at the top of the league in most quarterback statistical categories.

“I guess I’m just not surprised. I guess is the best way to say it,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said last week. “I hear these numbers and I’m just like, ‘Yeah, he’s playing good. He’s a good quarterback.’ So, I don’t really see this like I’m blown away. I expect that from him.

Goff opened the season with very long odds to win MVP, but they’ve been steadily rising. After the Lions game against the Cowboys, he was +800 to win, but two games later, the odds are down to +600. If Goff leads the Lions to another victory this week, the odds could keep moving in his favor.

And that brings us back to this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey, where we asked Detroit Lions fans two questions:

1. Are you confident the Lions are headed in the right direction?
2. What is the most likely outcome of the Lions at Packers?

Confidence in the team has remained high over the Lions’ five-game win streak, peaking at 99%, with a low of 96%—which is where they landed this week, after annihilating the Titans, 52-14 in Week 8.

In our second question—What is the most likely outcome of the Lions at Packers?—we asked our local readers to respond, while SB Nation ran their own poll with a similarly asked question.

What’s interesting about the results of these surveys is that the national audience continues to be slightly more confident in the Lions winning than the local one. In our survey, 84% of our audience believed the Lions would beat the Packers, but only 61% believed they would cover the Lions -3.5 point spread. In the national poll, 83% believed the Lions would not only win but cover as well.

To get a closer look into the minds of Lions fans, here are a few of the explanations from the comment section of the original article, lightly edited for length and clarity:

• Kdog060: “The only thing Green Bay has in their favor is playing at home. The Lions love to play spoiler though and I think they win and cover the spread 24-17.”
• Braamer: “I am not convinced the Packers are that good. They again seem to have a lot of luck in their favor so far this year. That said, it’s a divisional game so it should be a tough fight with the Lions prevailing in the end.”
• enelsoniii: “I think the Lions continue their winning ways in Lambeau – a division game with Campbell at the helm? Yes indeed. This could be a shootout, but I think the Lions run game and physicality are the difference. Lions win 27-23.”
• Lee County Flydog: “The revenge tour continues. How dare you spoil Thanksgiving?!”