Updated NFL MVP rankings after Chiefs improve to 6-0, Lions edge Vikings

When you only have 17 chances to prove yourself as the NFL MVP, each week is crucial for players who want to win the league's most prestigious individual award. As Week 7 winds down — albeit with three games still to be played — the MVP race is a bit of a bloodbath.

Although Kansas City is 6-0 and the only remaining unbeaten team in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes has been too turnover-prone this season to be an MVP favorite.

CJ Stroud had his worst game of the season and could definitely bounce back into the top five with a rebound performance next week.

Here's the list of candidates as it stands.

1. Josh Allen

Each week, we get closer to Josh Allen throwing the first ever zero-interception MVP season. Okay, that's probably not going to happen, but Allen has yet to throw a pick through seven games, and that's even more impressive when you remember that Allen threw 18 picks last year and the biggest question about him coming into 2024 was whether he could limit turnovers. Zero is pretty limited!

Allen had a shaky start in Week 7 but eventually found his groove and helped the Bills improve to 5-2 by dispatching Tennessee. Plus, he gained a new friend! Adding Amari Cooper to Buffalo's offense will only help Allen's numbers throughout the rest of the season; the Bills QB looked totally comfortable with the receivers he was passing to before, and adding a five-time Pro Bowler to the mix will only make Allen and the Bills more dangerous. He hasn't been perfect, but Allen leads the pack right now.

2. Lamar Jackson

Baltimore starting 0-2 feels like a lifetime ago because since then, the Ravens are 4-0 and Lamar Jackson has been doing Lamar Jackson things. He's thrown over 300 yards in his past two games — both wins — and has been electric in Baltimore's backfield with new teammate Derrick Henry. Jackson remains as dangerous as ever with his legs too, surpassing 400 rushing yards already, the only QB to do so this season.

Already a two-time MVP, Jackson could realistically win his third if he plays more like the past four games instead of his first two this season.

3. Jared Goff

Out of nowhere! Goff had a couple of clunkers to start the season but has responded with nine touchdowns to one interception in his past four games, completing over 70 percent of his passes in each one. It doesn't hurt that Detroit is scorching hot, either, winning all of those games including a thriller in Week 7 against the previously-undefeated Minnesota Vikings.

Detroit's offense looks like a machine right now, scoring 40-plus points against both Seattle and Dallas, then looking better against Minnesota's defense than any other team the Vikings have faced this year. If the Lions continue to play this well, Goff will be right in the MVP conversation all year.

4. Jayden Daniels

An injury to Daniels in Week 7 meant that Marcus Mariota played a majority of the snaps for Washington, but the Commandores still had no trouble with the Panthers, winning 40-7.

Daniels has taken the league by storm this season, giving Washington its best quarterback play in many, many years. He's instantly become one of the most thrilling players to watch in the NFL, totally changing what Washington could potentially accomplish this season. He only has six passing touchdowns on the year, and might need to find the end zone a little more through the air if he wants to rise on this list. But he's been a franchise-changer in his rookie season in DC. Hopefully the injury he sustained in Week 7 doesn't keep him sidelined beyond this game.

5. Sam Darnold

The Vikings are undefeated no more, as a loss to Detroit on Sunday knocked them down to 5-1, but Darnold made enough sensational throws in the game to keep himself in the MVP discussion despite the loss. Watching Darnold's career turnaround has been pretty stunning this year, as a quarterback who was once thought of as a draft bust is now leading one of the best teams in the league.

Darnold has thrown a pick in each of his past three games so he'll need to limit turnovers if he wants to stay in the MVP conversation, especially because he doesn't usually post gaudy passing yardage numbers. Still, Darnold has been a revelation and his career resurgance has him in the MVP conversation through six games for Minnesota.