Stephen A. Smith has no doubts that Lamar Jackson is spectacular, but explains how the Ravens' defense has buffered him while Russell Wilson has put the Seahawks on his back. (1:27)

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson began the season as a long shot to win NFL MVP. He's now the favorite.

For the first time this season, Jackson sits atop the odds to win NFL MVP. He is 7-5 at Caesars Sportsbook, after entering the season -- his second in the NFL and first as a full-time starter -- at 50-1. He has taken off from there, dazzling with his arm and legs and turning the Ravens into one of the Super Bowl favorites.

On Sunday, Jackson threw four touchdown passes in a 41-7 rout of the Houston Texans, the Ravens' sixth win in a row. He is the first Ravens quarterback in team history to have two games with four or more passing touchdowns in a season. He added 86 yards on the ground against the Texans and has 788 rushing yards on the season, the most by a quarterback through 10 games in the Super Bowl era.

Before Jackson took the podium for his postgame presser Sunday, running back Mark Ingram II introduced him by saying, "Now I would just like to introduce y'all to the man, the myth, the legend, the MVP front-runner ... if anybody else got something different to say about that, then come see me."

Asked how he can downplay the MVP talk after that, Jackson said, "Like I said before, I'm all about winning. It is what it is. I'm glad he feels that way, but I'm trying to get something even more, so we all can talk about it."

The betting interest in Jackson has increased throughout the season and could prove costly for some sportsbooks. Since Oct. 20, he's been the most popular pick by bettors at Caesars Sportsbook. Over the last two weeks, 54% of the money bet on DraftKings' MVP odds has been on Jackson, and, of the legitimate MVP candidates, the SuperBook at Westgate Las Vegas would only suffer a net loss on two players: Jackson and Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Odds To Win MVP Ravens QB Lamar Jackson's odds to be named NFL MVP have gone from 50-1 at the start of the season to 7-5 at Caesars Sportsbook. Odds Lamar Jackson 7-5 Russell Wilson 2-1 Aaron Rodgers 9-1 Patrick Mahomes 10-1 Dak Prescott 10-1 Kirk Cousins 15-1 Christian McCaffrey 20-1 DeShaun Watson 20-1 -- Caesars Sportsbook

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the second-favorite at 2-1 at Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (9-1) and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (10-1), the preseason favorite. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott also is 10-1, with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins 15-1. Watson and Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey are each 20-1.

Jackson is the front-runner now, though, and his team is soaring up the odds boards with him. The Ravens' Super Bowl odds have improved to 5-1 at Caesars Sportsbook, behind only the Patriots (11-4) and Saints (4-1).

ESPN staff writer Jamison Hensley contributed reporting for this article.