NFL MVP race entering Week 4: Josh Allen stays No. 1, but the field is closing fast

A wide receiver, two running backs and even a defensive player join the quarterbacks in our ranking of the NFL's leading MVP candidates

Sep 29, 2026 at 7:47 am ET • 4 min read

Who will win the league MVP in 2026? To find out, we're doing a week-by-week ranking of the candidates most likely to win the honor. This week alone, we saw four players enter the conversation who weren't considered this time a week ago. Several other players either moved up or down in our weekly ranking of MVP candidates. But the quarterback of the Buffalo Bills still has the lead, and that's where we start.

1. Josh Allen

• Last week: 1 

If the MVP vote happened today, Allen wins. That was the case last week, and it's still the case now, even if the gap between him and the field has closed a bit. 

The 2024 league MVP, Allen, already made history by becoming the first player with five or more touchdown passes and three or more touchdown runs through the first two games. On Sunday, Allen threw his first two interceptions of the season, but he also ran for a pair of scores and joined Jim Brown (1958), Stephen Davis (1999) and Priest Holmes (2003) as the only players to rush for two touchdowns in their first three games of a season.

2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba

• Last week: 3 

The league's reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Smith-Njigba is once again making a case to become the first receiver to win league MVP. He closed the gap on Allen after catching a season-high 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns in Seattle's 33-31 loss to Washington. 

The 24-year-old Smith-Njigba is on pace to make history. He leads the NFL in receptions (27, tied with New Orleans' Chris Olave), receiving yards (406) and touchdown catches (six). He is on pace to shatter both Randy Moss' single-season record for touchdown receptions (23 in 2007) and Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving yardage record (1,964 yards in 2012). He's also on pace to break Michael Thomas' single-season receptions mark (149 in 2019). 

3. Kirk Cousins

• Last week: 7 

It's impossible to ignore the Raiders' history of older quarterbacks who have enjoyed career rebirths after joining the silver and black. Joe Plunkett overcame obscurity to lead the Raiders to an unexpected title in 1980, Rich Gannon won MVP and led the Raiders to a Super Bowl in 2022, and Cousins is currently writing his own story for the 3-0 Raiders. 

The more the Raiders win, the more Cousins' MVP case becomes a real possibility. 

4. Brock Purdy 

• Last week: 4 

Purdy continued to help his MVP case in Week 3 by helping the battered 49ers improve to 3-0. Purdy threw for a season-high 297 yards and four touchdowns (with no picks) in San Francisco's 36-30 win over the Cardinals. 

Through three weeks, Purdy is tied for the NFL lead in touchdown passes (nine) and is eighth in passing yards (789). He's also completed an impressive 72.3% of his passes and has thrown just one interception. 

5. Kenneth Walker  

• Last week: 2  

Walker ran for 70 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown in Kansas City's 24-10 win over Miami. 

The reigning Super Bowl MVP, Walker, is first in the league with 360 rushing yards. He is on pace to become only the 10th player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. Walker has also been an asset for Patrick Mahomes as a receiver. He caught his second touchdown pass of the season during Sunday's win. 

6. Patrick Mahomes 

• Last week: N/A 

Already a two-time league MVP, Mahomes has again put himself in the conversation this year. In helping lead the Chiefs to a 3-0 start, Mahomes has thrown seven touchdowns against just two picks while completing an impressive 68.4% of his passes. 

Mahomes, who missed the final three games of the 2025 season after he tore his left ACL and LCL, could also be considered the front-runner for Comeback Player of the Year through three weeks. For him to have a chance at winning MVP, Mahomes and the Chiefs will likely need to dethrone Denver as AFC West champions. 

7. Bijan Robinson

Last week: N/A 

Robinson earned a spot on this list after his monster performance in Week 3 that contributed to the Falcons' blowout win over the Packers on prime time. Robinson had 215 all-purpose yards against the Packers that included 194 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries. 

The performance moved Robinson into second in the NFL (behind Walker) in rushing through three weeks. His 467 all-purpose yards are the most in the NFL among offensive players. 

8. Jared Goff 

• Last week: N/A 

While it's expected at this point, Goff's prolific numbers shouldn't be overlooked. Goff is tied for third in the league in touchdown passes, fifth in completion percentage and sixth in passing yards. He has yet to throw an interception. 

Like Mahomes, an unexpected division title for the Lions would certainly boost Goff's MVP hopes. The odds of that happening have increased with Caleb Williams' recent injury, the Packers' ongoing struggles without Micah Parsons and the Vikings' quarterback instability. 

9. Joe Burrow 

• Last week: 5 

Burrow lost some ground, but he still deserves a spot on this list after throwing for 282 yards and three touchdowns (and completing 75.7% of his passes) in Cincinnati's 30-27 loss in Pittsburgh. Statistically, the game was Burrow's best of the season so far. 

The Bengals' loss was sealed when Burrow took a strip sack with less than a minute to play, but the defeat was largely the byproduct of two mistakes by Cincinnati's punt return unit that set up 10 of the Steelers' 30 points. 

10. Greg Rousseau 

Last week: N/A 

Given the fact that only two defensive players in history have won league MVP, the odds of Rousseau winning MVP are about as good as you or me winning the lottery. That said, Rousseau should be considered a long-shot contender.

Rousseau's 6.0 sacks are two more than the league's next-closest players (Will Anderson Jr. and Mason Graham). He's joined Mark Gastineau (in 1984) and Hall of Famer Kevin Greene (in 1998) as the only players to have three straight games with two or more sacks to open a season.