Is trying to figure out the NFL MVP after six weeks of football a thankless venture? You bet! There is still one-third of the season remaining for players to surge up the MVP rankings and make their own case to be awarded as the league's best player. At the same time, with what we've seen early on, it's hard not to think that we're already at a two-man race between San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Not only do we have to decide who has the edge between Purdy and Allen in the NFL MVP rankings, but we also have to figure out who the chasers are for the award. Again, so much of this can change over the remaining 12 weeks of the regular season, but as of now, here's how the MVP race is shaking out with the top nine candidates in the NFL.
9. QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
- Team Record: 3-2
- Passing Stats: 1,549 yards (6th in NFL), 60.2% completions, 11 TDs, 2 INTs
- Rushing Stats: 9 carries, 25 yards, 1 TD
- Advanced Metric: 9th in NFL in EPA per Play at QB (+0.217)
Though the Carolina Panthers are in first place in the NFC South, their lack of overall success as a team certainly factors into Bryce Young being at the bottom of these rankings. But the fact that a quarterback who was once viewed as a potential bust of a No. 1 pick has elevated his level of play to even warrant mentioning in the MVP conversation speaks volumes about how good he's been with Carolina this season.
Young has led the Panthers to boasting one of the most potent offenses in the NFL this season, sitting Top 10 among quarterbacks in passing yardage and touchdowns while maintaining a high level of efficiency as well. He's made Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker into one of the most underrated receiver tandems in the entire league this season. More importantly, none of this looks flukey — Young looks like he's going to continue putting up this torrid pace all year long.
8. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
- Team Record: 3-3
- Receiving Stats: 49 receptions, 717 yards (leads NFL), 7 TDs (leads NFL)
- Advanced Metric: Leads NFL with 35.1% of team's targets
Speaking of teams that are hurting the MVP candidacy of a player, I'm not sure many expected it would be the Seattle Seahawks — the defending Super Bowl champions, as a reminder — would be the ones that would be hindering Jaxon Smith-Njigba this season. Here we are, though, with a .500 Seahawks team that might be the most literal interpretation of "valuable" in the MVP conversation because I'm not sure how this offense would be functioning without their star wide receiver.
Not only does JSN lead the league in both receiving yards and touchdowns so far, but he's hauling in a ridiculous 35.1% of the team's targets. That's nearly 5% more of a target share than any other receiver in the league, to put that into context. He's been the engine that drives this offense as Seattle struggles mightily to run the ball and to hold onto it with Sam Darnold as well. If the Seahawks can get more success overall while maintaining Smith-Njigba's production, though, he could be a riser in the rankings.
7. QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
- Team Record: 3-2
- Passing Stats: 1,361 yards, 71.4% completions (best in NFL), 11 TDs, 3 INTs
- Rushing Stats: 15 carries, 48 yards, 1 TD
- Advanced Metric: 6th in NFL in QB Success Rate (51.2%)
What Joe Burrow has done at the start of the season has been undeniably impressive. After years of injuries and up-and-down performances, the fact that he's come out of the gates swinging to lead all qualified quarterbacks (min. 100 attempts) in completion rate while having an 11-3 TD-INT ratio is darn impressive, and the Bengals have benefitted as a result with a good-not-great start to the season behind their quarterback's play.
Perhaps the most intriguing part about Burrow and the Bengals, though, is that there is a realistic expectation that it's only going to get better from here. Both Cincinnati and their star quarterback have been notriously slow starters over the years, so for both to come out of the gate with so much gusto would suggest that the improvement curve will maintain, but just be set at a higher level. If that happens, we could see Burrow truly soar into the top of the NFL MVP rankings in the coming weeks and months.
6. QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville
- Team Record: 4-2
- Passing Stats: 1,480 yards, 65.2% completions, 14 TDs (tied for NFL lead), 4 INTs
- Rushing Stats: 17 carries, 70 yards
- Advanced Metric: 6th in NFL in EPA per Play at QB (+0.241)
We saw shades of a true Trevor Lawrence breakout performance coming last year in the first season with Liam Coen as the head coach in Jacksonville. Now we might be getting it full-bore. While the Jaguars are coming off a loss in London, that didn't stop Lawrence from continuing his hot start to the 2026 season. He's tied for the NFL lead with 14 touchdown passes, has cut down the turnovers with only four picks to this point and has been highly efficient in leading this offense.
Two things that Lawrence needs to help his MVP candidacy are for his team to continue backing them up and establishing the Jaguars firmly as contenders in the AFC while he also needs to avoid tailing off in terms of his production. With Coen and the cast of weapons now surrounding him in Jacksonville, that doesn't seem like too big of an ask, and he could very well end up being a real challenger for the award if that were to happen.
5. RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
- Team Record: 3-2
- Rushing Stats: 105 carries, 504 yards (4.8 ypc), 7 TDs (tied for NFL lead among RBs)
- Receiving Stats: 27 receptions, 243 yards, 2 TDs
- Advanced Metric: Lions are 9th in EPA per Rush
Jahmyr Gibbs is very good at football. You're welcome for the insightful TED talk you just enjoyed. His dual-threat ability as both a rusher and pass-catcher have been phenomenal this season, allowing him to put up a combined nine touchdowns already this season. He's been the driving force behind the Lions offense, which even in year two without Ben Johnson, has been able to maintain its dangerous level of efficiency and productivity. Gibbs is the biggest piece of that puzzle.
Gibbs could be more efficient on the ground — that's not to say he hasn't been, just that he's not been among the elite this season in terms of yards per carry. Moreover, as important as he's been to the Lions offense, he's also hurt by the fact that Jared Goff and the passing offense have been carrying their share of the load as well. None of that should overshadow just how good and critical he's been to the Detroit operation, though, which is worth quite a bit.
4. QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
- Team Record: 4-2
- Passing Stats: 1,684 yards, 59.7% completions, 11 TDs, 4 INTs
- Rushing Stats: 11 carries, 10 yards, 1 TD
- Advanced Metric: Leads NFL in 30+ yard pass plays (25)
There's not a more fascinating viable MVP candidate right now than Jordan Love. On a play-to-play basis, there are numerous quarterbacks both in these rankings and not who have been more efficient. After all, the Green Bay Packers signal-caller has a sub-60% completion rate so far this season. And yet, he's been one of the NFL leaders in overall passing so far this season, even while Green Bay was sorting out a woeful early offensive line performance, and has been just chucking it downfield at an absurd rate.
Love leads the NFL in 50+ yard completions (3), 40+ yard completions (8) and is third in the NFL in completions of 20+ yards. His rapport with Christian Watson and Matthew Golden has developed rapidly and they've comprised a truly lethal downfield passing attack. It's strange to try and quantify that among some of the more consistent playmakers in the MVP conversation, but it's also undeniable when he's been putting up the numbers he has to this point.
3. RB Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City Chiefs
- Team Record: 5-0
- Rushing Stats: 106 carries, 665 yards (leads NFL), 6.3 ypc, 6 TDs
- Receiving Stats: 14 receptions, 95 yards, 2 TDs
- Advanced Metric: Leads NFL with 333 yards after contact
All due respect to Patrick Mahomes coming back quite solidly from his torn ACL this season, but the addition of Kenneth Walker III to the Kansas City Chiefs has been the most impactful offseason move for any offense in the NFL. With that, what the reigning Super Bowl MVP is doing for this Chiefs offense is nothing short of incredible. Even though he's already had the bye week, Walker still leads the NFL in rushing yards and is tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns as well, all while also adding two more scores as a weapon in the passing game as well.
The biggest thing, beyond just the absurd production through five games, that Walker has working for him is how he's put up those numbers. He leads the NFL in yards after contact with 333 this season, averaging 3.1 yards per attempt after a defender makes contact with him. In fact, he's the only running back averaging over 3.0 yards after contact, he has more yards after than before contact, he's second in the NFL in broken tackles, and he's one of just two players along with Bijan Robinson to have more than 300 yards after contact. He's doing so much of this on his own, which only adds to his MVP candidacy.
2. QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
- Team Record: 6-0
- Passing Stats: 1,460 yards, 69.6% completions, 14 TDs, 2 INTs
- Rushing Stats: 30 carries, 156 yards, 1 TD
- Advanced Metric: 3rd in NFL in EPA per Play at QB (+0.348)
Saying Brock Purdy is the No. 2 NFL MVP candidate right now doesn't feel correct. He's more aptly like a 1B in the conversation right now, because he's been playing out of his mind. He's tied for the NFL lead in passing touchdowns and, while the yardage production hasn't necessarily been there, he's been wildly efficient in the passing game on an EPA basis while protecting the football. Oh yeah, he's also quarterbacking a San Francisco 49ers team off to a pristine 6-0 start to the season.
What's even more impressive is that Purdy is doing this while his receiving corps is not only near-unbelievably injured but seemingly rotating its cast of characters week-to-week at this point. Mike Evans, who's also been banged up, has been just about the most consistent part of the receiver group at this point, but it's been so many other guys cycling in otherwise. The fact that Purdy has been able to produce to the degree that he has amid all that turmoil speaks volumes about the level of play he's putting forth.
1. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
- Team Record: 5-1
- Passing Stats: 1,504 yards, 66.7% completions, 9 TDs, 4 INTs
- Rushing Stats: 48 carries, 240 yards, 8 TDs (leads NFL)
- Advanced Metric: 2nd in NFL in EPA per Play at QB (+0.350)
If the season ended today, Josh Allen would be your NFL MVP once again. He won the award for the 2024 season and has been continuing his phenomenal performance and candidacy since. The passing numbers alone are good, even if not great, with over 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns. However, we know that the game with Allen also includes his legs, and the fact that he has not just 240 yards on the ground but a league-leading eight rushing touchdowns to his credit as well shows why he's at the top of these rankings.
Moreover, while he hasn't had to deal with the injuries around him like Purdy, Allen does have to deal with the Bills defense. You know, a defense that has given up 29 or more points in five of its six games and ranks 30th in the NFL in both EPA per Play and Success Rate allowed this season. Buffalo has needed Allen to operate the offense like one of the highest-scoring and most efficient units in the NFL to keep their hold on the AFC East and near the top of the conference, which he's done.
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