We can now have serious MVP conversations, now that we have completed five weeks of the regular season.
The first quarter of the year can be deceiving, as teams often start fast before stumbling due to unforeseen circumstances. But the true MVP candidates find a way to make it work, regardless of who’s on the field.
Three quarterbacks often get overlooked when it comes to listing the best in the game, but they will not be forgotten for this MVP watch piece. And it shouldn’t be all about the quarterbacks because there’s one skill player who’s on pace to break records by the end of the season.
But, of course, at least one of the superstar quarterbacks will be listed below. Here are our top five MVP candidates heading into NFL Week 6.
5. Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks (3–2)
The Seahawks were holding back Darnold until they finally unleashed him in the Week 5 shootout loss to the Buccaneers. Yes, Darnold’s late interception allowed Tampa Bay to steal the game, but Seattle would have lost by double digits if it weren’t for Darnold being perfect for nearly four quarters.
Seattle aims to be a conservative team that relies on its defense and controls the clock on offense. But over time, we’ll likely see more games with Darnold bailing out a team, as it continues to tinker with its identity. The Seahawks will eventually realize that Darnold should be a big part of that identity.
He has only 134 passing attempts, which is a lot fewer than Dak Prescott’s league-high 195 attempts. Obviously, the Seahawks shouldn't neglect the running game, but Darnold is averaging a league-high 9.3 yards per attempt and has been nearly unstoppable throwing in Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s direction. For the season, Darnold has completed 73.1% of his passes with 1,187 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.
4. Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys (2–2–1)
The football public loves poking fun at the Cowboys, but promoting Brian Schottenheimer from offensive coordinator to head coach has been beneficial for Prescott and the entire Dallas offense.
Prescott didn't have to learn a new offense and not having that transition period has allowed the Cowboys to flourish into one of the best offenses in the league. Dallas needed that side to be a strength while the defense scrambled to produce a viable scheme after Jerry Jones abruptly traded Micah Parsons to Green Bay less than two weeks before the season opener.
Also, Prescott has made it work without CeeDee Lamb the past two games and with a banged-up offensive line. Prescott has produced stellar results, feeding tight end Jake Ferguson and wide receiver George Pickens. He even made it work last week against the Jets, utilizing Ryan Flournoy, a 2024 sixth-round pick, as the team’s leading receiver.
Prescott is completing 71.3% of his passes for 1,356 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
3. Puka Nacua, WR, Rams (3–2)
I’ll address Matthew Stafford’s absence here. He’s certainly playing like an MVP, but history tells us that whenever there are two candidates on the same team, one tends to get pushed more than the other. As for another downside, it usually hurts both candidates because they’re splitting votes.
And I know I’m probably backing the wrong guy here because it’s often the quarterback that gets propped up more than the skill player. It happened last year to Derrick Henry, with Lamar Jackson overshadowing him down the stretch.
But I’m sure Stafford would gladly rave about how vital Nacua has been to the Rams, especially this season. Last week, it was easy to see how much the 49ers’ defense paid attention to Nacua, allowing Stafford to take advantage of the beneficial matchups for the other guys. It’s somewhat of an insult to refer to Davante Adams as one of the other guys, but he, too, has benefited from Nacua’s dominance to start the season.
The third-year receiver has the numbers, and he’s extremely valuable to the Rams to make a compelling MVP case. Nacua has a league-high 52 receptions for 588 yards, along with three total touchdowns. He has also produced a league-high 31 first downs as a receiver.
2. Josh Allen, QB, Bills (4–1)
Allen’s passing numbers aren’t as high as the other quarterbacks on this list, but he’s a sure bet to be a top-three MVP candidate late in the season because of what he provides in the most significant moments.
For starters, not many quarterbacks can provide his combination of size, strength and speed when it comes to the running game. And when Allen is in his “Bruce Lee” mode, there’s minimal defense that can do to knock him out of his elite element as a passer.
Allen did, however, have a setback last week when Drake Maye outplayed him during the Bills’ loss to the Patriots. However, Allen did produce 10 points in clutch time to tie the game, and ultimately lost because Maye got the ball last. Also, Allen helped Buffalo overcome a bad defensive performance during their epic Week 1 comeback victory over the Ravens.
For the season, Allen has completed 70.4% of his passes for 1,217 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also added 40 carries for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
1. Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers (4–1)
No quarterback has thrived more in the clutch this season than Mayfield.
All four of the Buccaneers’ wins have ended with Mayfield orchestrating game-winning drives. In the lone loss, Mayfield had the shorthanded Buccaneers in position to steal the game in Philadelphia, scoring 10 unanswered points in the second half.
Let’s not overlook the fact that Mayfield has played this well with wide receiver Mike Evans and left tackle Tristan Wirfs missing multiple games during the first quarter of the season. Mayfield deserves credit for quickly establishing a rhythm with Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite Emeka Egbuka, the first-round receiver.
In the wild shootout against Seattle, Mayfield became the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 375 passing yards and have fewer than five incompletions during a regular-season game. For the season, Mayfield is completing 65.1% of his passes for 1,283 yards, 10 touchdowns and only one interception.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the Top Five Candidates for NFL MVP.
