Top 3 NFL MVP Favorites After Week 5 – Feat. Brock Purdy

The 2026 NFL season is only five weeks old, so discussing who will win MVP is a bit premature, but you can’t avoid it. We’ve already seen massive performances across the field. Usual faces in the mix include Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott. But it would be a crime to rule out a few surprising entries.

Only three teams are undefeated after five weeks—the Minnesota Vikings, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the San Francisco 49ers. The Chiefs are 4-0, while the Vikings and the Niners are 5-0.

Stafford, the reigning MVP, is 2-3. But the Rams offense leads the league in points scored, average yards per game, and passing yards. Stafford has thrown for 1572 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions (two short of last year’s tally). Stafford will remain in the race unless the Rams fall apart in the next few weeks.

Prescott is another name that might surprise a few Eagles fans, considering they share the same 2-3 record. The Pro Bowler has made a few mistakes here and there, but it would be unfair to blame him for the Cowboys’ misery. The defense has once again been atrocious and, quite rightly, has lingered in the bottom echelons of every league metric. As for Prescott, he has thrown for 1381 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions—prior to last week’s defeat, h he only had one interception in four games.

Stafford and Prescott are great quarterbacks in their own right. Stafford is slightly ahead of Dak in the pecking order as he has won a championship.

However, neither of them can be considered the MVP if the league ended today.  Only three players claim that they are the main reason for their team’s success.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes

Doubting Mahomes never ends well for other teams. The 3x Super Bowl champion and 2x league MVP has had a two-year slump, and most analysts have accepted he’s no longer the Mahomes of old.

Briefly, it seemed that way too. Mahomes suffering an ACL injury added more fuel to the already raging fire. More often than not, players struggle to rediscover their old form after making a full recovery. But Mahomes is different. He’s not only playing football at a high level, but also dominating his opponents.

In four games, Mahomes has thrown for 1037 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also has a rushing score. He’s doing that despite the absence of a top receiver. Mahomes tied Tom Brady for most wins (115) by a quarterback through his first 150 games.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen

The Ravens must be sick of seeing Josh Allen in the MVP mix again. But even the most cynical supporter wouldn’t be foolish enough to argue that Allen deserves all the praise he’s getting. A couple of years ago, he pipped Lamar Jackson for the best player award, and in the first five games, he showed glimpses of that.

Allen is undeniably the reason behind the Bills’ 4-1 start. He has 91 completions for 1249 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He also has 43 carries for 239 yards and 8 rushing touchdowns (best in the league)—more TDs than Derrick Henry, James Cook, Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, and Saquon Barkley.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy

Let’s face it, analysts and critics should just accept that Brock Purdy is among the best quarterbacks in the league. For as long as we can remember, they have brushed Purdy off because they drafted him last in 2022. And whenever Purdy has flashed, they have downplayed him by crediting Kyle Shanahan and his teammates.

Those are valid arguments, but two things can be true at once. Purdy is a big talent, and the Niners recognized him with a $50 million+/year deal. Over the first five games of 2026, he has repaid that trust.

The Niners ‘ five-game winning streak includes wins over the Rams, Broncos, and defending champions the Seahawks. Purdy has tallied 98 completions on 142 attempts (69%) for 1,196 yards, 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 119.3 (best in the league).

Sure, a lot can change in the next few weeks, and these three might not even remain in the MVP race. But if the league ended today, Purdy would win the best player award.

Honorable mention: Kenneth Walker (running back, Kansas City Chiefs)

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