Week 1 is over. Sixteen games are in the books. Ten NFL MVP candidates (and two honorable mentions) have emerged as contenders in the wide field.
With the 2026 NFL season finally underway, there's no better time to start making declarative statements about players and teams than now. Surely, nothing will change or evolve over the next 17 weeks, right?
USA TODAY Sports has compiled a list of the 10 players we believe got off to the hottest starts in the race to win the NFL MVP award after the season. Many are quarterbacks, given the trend of the last 13 straight MVPs coming from the position. A handful of early MVP hopefuls are running backs after a particularly run-heavy week to open the season.
After one week of action, here's how MVP power rankings
look:
NFL MVP power rankings: Week 1
1. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
There was reason to doubt Allen heading into his Week 1 matchup with the Texans in Houston. The Bills had never beaten the Texans in the Josh Allen era. Houston boasted one of the NFL's best defenses last year, particularly against opposing passers. Buffalo didn't do enough to address its pass-catching group in the offseason. This writer evenargued Allen would be among the worst statistical performers at his position in Week 1.
Instead, Allen and the Bills silenced all doubters with a dominating offensive performance. The 36 points they scored were more than the Texans allowed in any game last season, when they were the second-best scoring defense in the NFL (17.4 points allowed per game). Allen threw for 334 yards – his most in a game since Week 1 last year, against a much worse Ravens passing defense – and two touchdowns. He also ran six times for 23 yards and two touchdowns.
The fact that Allen was able to exorcise his demons playing in Houston – and to the degree that he did in Week 1 – indicates a very strong start to the Joe Brady era in Buffalo. As the season continues and the Texans' defense rounds into form, this performance by Allen will only age better.
2. QB Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
Williams' first start in Year 2 of the Ben Johnson era in Chicago was practically perfect. Not only was his 73.9% completion rate against the Panthers tied for the fifth-best mark of his career (after an offseason of dialogue about his lack of success in that stat), he also threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Williams' performance helped lead the Bears to 59 points and 552 yards of offense – both the most in the league in Week 1.
The Bears' third-year quarterback added to his production on the ground, with 65 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Williams made several highlight throws that showcased the excellent ball placement and ability to throw on the run that were trademarks of his season last year. He took advantage of play-action passes within Johnson's offense once D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai had established the run. He made good decisions, captained explosive plays and didn't turn the ball over on a day in which the offense needed to carry the Bears.
If this is the "worst game" the Bears will have this year, as Williams said after Week 1, he'll be making a real case for the MVP award by the time this season is done.
3. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson quietly had one of the best games of his entire career in Week 1. His 324 passing yards were tied for fourth-most in a game in his career with a Week 1 performance in 2019 – the year he won his first MVP award. Jackson averaged 13 yards per attempt, leading the league. He also rushed seven times for 40 yards and a score that he made look easy.
One of the most impressive parts of Jackson's performance was his spread of targets. Top wide receiver Zay Flowers left before halftime with a hamstring injury, and rookie standout Ja'Kobi Lane also missed time with a wrist injury. Jackson kept the passing offense afloat, targeting eight other pass-catchers: Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Chris Moore, Mark Andrews, LaJohntay Wester, Matthew Hibner, Durham Smythe and Rashod Bateman.
Jackson and the Ravens will face tougher tests ahead than a Colts defense already expected to be among the worst in the NFL, but this was a great start for the two-time MVP.
4. QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Year 2 of Lawrence's time in head coach Liam Coen's offense started with a bang. A very, very loud bang. The former No. 1 overall pick threw four touchdown passes to take the NFL lead through one week. He also had a 78.3% completion rate, which ranked fourth and 245 passing yards, which ranked 10th. If that's not enough, how about his 10.7 yards per attempt (third in Week 1), or his league-leading 70.8% success rate, per Pro Football Reference?
Sure, the Cleveland Browns no longer boast Myles Garrett on their defensive front, but this was still a defense that ranked fourth in EPA/play allowed last year and eighth in dropback success rate allowed (43.4%). Cleveland's secondary still features five-time Pro Bowler Denzel Ward and standout safety Grant Delpit, yet Lawrence still managed to make nutty throws like a touchdown pass to Josh Cameron through four defenders.
Lawrence has now won nine straight regular-season starts. He's also won 10 of his last 11, having seemingly found his footing in Coen's offense after the Jaguars' Week 8 bye last year.
5. RB Kenneth Walker, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes who? Kelce who? The Chiefs' offense in Week 1 ran (haha) through their newcomer and reigning Super Bowl MVP. Walker was the centerpiece of Kansas City's offseason retooling after a disappointing 6-11 outing in 2025, and he immediately showed that his new team's investment paid off. He finished "Monday Night Football" with 173 rushing yards – most in the league in Week 1 – on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns: one rushing and one receiving.
The 2024 and 2025 Chiefs were both among the worst teams this century at generating explosive runs. Last year, they only had one 20+ yard run from a tailback all season. Walker had two in the first week of 2026. By halftime, Kansas City had already surpassed its most rushing yards by a running back from under center in a full game since 2022, according to Next Gen Stats. Meanwhile, Mahomes and the Chiefs' passing offense finished with just 184 yards – 18 of them from Walker. The running back accounted for 48.7% of his new team's total yardage in his debut.
All of this, by the way, against a Broncos defense that allowed the second-lowest rushing success rate against opponents in 2025 (36.3%). If the Chiefs become Super Bowl contenders again in 2026, it will likely be because Walker's addition transformed their offense for the better.
6. QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Shough and the Saints did not ultimately win their Week 1 game against the Lions, but the second-year quarterback still shined. After a shaky first half (plus first play of the third quarter) that included two interceptions, Shough helped lead the Saints' offense to a 21-point comeback with an NFL-leading 56 pass attempts for an NFL-leading 410 passing yards. He also threw three touchdown passes, including one in overtime that was rendered moot by a failed two-point conversion attempt for the win.
Sprinkled in among the big throws Shough made – 10 of which landed with Chris Olave for a league-leading 182 receiving yards in Week 1 – were a couple of bad ones. Both interceptions happened with no pressure in the pocket, and Pro Football Reference credited him with nine bad throws. He also took five sacks, which were tied for the most in Week 1. Still, it was a promising start for a young quarterback in just his 11th career start.
7. RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
Without Gibbs, the Lions would have had virtually no offense in Week 1. In his first game since David Montgomery's departure via trade, the fourth-year running back rushed a league-leading 29 times for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught all five of his targets for 30 receiving yards. By the end of the Lions' overtime win, Gibbs was responsible for 50.4% of Detroit's total yards on offense.
The biggest concern moving forward is sustainability. The Lions were able to keep Gibbs relatively fresh – i.e., fewer than 300 carries per season – when Montgomery was around for the team's "Sonic and Knuckles" backfield tandem. But 29 carries per game is not something Detroit can lean on for 16 more matchups – at least, not if they expect Gibbs to be part of their long-term plans like his three-year, $67.5 million extension would suggest.
8. RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
No running back has been an "exception to the rule" quite like "King" Henry. Where conventional wisdom has long pointed to 30 as the typical age for production fall-off in running backs, the Ravens' 6-foot-3, 252-pound monster in the backfield is still playing like one of the best in the game at age 32.
Henry rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries, averaging six yards per carry. His second touchdown of the day pushed him ahead of Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen for third-most rushing scores in NFL history. Henry's Week 1 performance was also his 26th game with more than 100 rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns, passing Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown for the most outings with those marks in NFL history. Could 2026 finally bring an MVP award to the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year and two-time rushing title winner?
9. QB Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
The coming-out party for second-year quarterbacks wasn't exclusive to Shough of the Saints. Dart had a great night against the Dallas Cowboys' struggling defense in the first "Sunday Night Football" game of the year. The former first-round pick went 23-for-29 (79.3% completion rate, tied for second-best) on pass attempts for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
All night, Dart looked in command of a new-look offense put together by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and senior offensive assistant Greg Roman. He frequently checked out of plays with audibles at the line of scrimmage and finished the game with a 64.5% success rate on throws, ranking second in the NFL.
The biggest caveat to Dart's performance is the opponent he faced. Dallas had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, and the unit still made many mistakes in its first game with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Dart faces a much bigger challenge in Week 2 against the Rams – albeit without Myles Garrett healthy.
10. RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Robinson is one of two players on the list to crack the top 10 without his team winning, and for good reason. Without their star running back, the Falcons would have had just 65 yards of offense in Week 1. That is not a typo.
Robinson was responsible for 173 yards of offense by himself against the Steelers, or 72.7% of Atlanta's 238 total yards. The former No. 8 overall pick was also the only Falcons player to score a touchdown in their first game of the year, which they lost 20-13.
The Falcons will likely need to win more for Robinson to get any real consideration for MVP, especially as a running back. Regardless, he deserves his flowers as the lone bright spot on a bleak day for his team on offense.
Honorable mention: Edge T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
On the flip side of the Falcons' putrid day on offense was a defensive star shining brightly for the Steelers. Watt recorded two sacks against Atlanta in Week 1, and he even intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown in his first game of Year 10 with Pittsburgh. A defender hasn't won MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986, but if Watt keeps up his 34-sack, 17-interception pace, he'll be hard to ignore.
Honorable mention: WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Olave was the biggest beneficiary of Shough's massive day in Detroit. The fifth-year receiver tallied an NFL-leading 182 yards on 10 catches on Sunday, Sept. 13. Though he didn't find the end zone during his big day, he caught seven passes for a first down, which also led the NFL. Alas, a wide receiver has never won the NFL MVP award, but Olave also deserved recognition for a great outing as the Saints await rookie wideout Jordyn Tyson's debut.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will win NFL MVP? Josh Allen leads power rankings after Week 1
