It's only two weeks, but several players have made an early impression in the season-long race to win the NFL's MVP award. The league's most prestigious individual award, the NFL MVP was first given out in 1957, with Browns' legendary running back Jim Brown winning the title. It didn't take long for quarterbacks to monopolize the award, however, starting with Johnny Unitas, who in 1959 became the first QB to win the honor.
Quarterbacks have now come to define the award. A quarterback has won the award every year since Adrian Peterson won it in 2012 after nearly breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. Only twice has a defensive player won the honor (Alan Page in 1971 and Lawrence Taylor in 1986).
A receiver has never won league MVP, although Jerry Rice should have in 1987 when he caught 22 touchdown passes (an NFL record at the time) in 12 games. Who will win league MVP in 2026? To find out, we're doing a week-by-week ranking of the candidates most likely to win the honor.
If the MVP vote happened today, Allen would be the winner. The 2024 league MVP, Allen is the first player in NFL history with five or more touchdown passes and three or more touchdown runs through the first two games. Allen has five touchdown passes and a league-high four touchdown runs while leading the Bills to impressive wins over the Texans and Lions.
Allen, who has yet to throw an interception this season, leads the NFL in adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (11.4). He enters Week 3 with a gaudy 125.8 passer rating. If there was an award for the league's best free agency signing, Walker would be the front-runner.
The reigning Super Bowl MVP has made an immediate impact on the Chiefs, who are off to a 2-0 start. Walker rumbled for 173 yards and a score in Kansas City's Week 1 win over the Broncos. This past Monday night, Walker outrushed his counterpart, Jonathan Taylor (117 yards to 92 yards), while helping the Chiefs defeat the Colts in overtime.
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