Week 1 was dominated by high-powered offenses scoring tons of points and star players quickly returning to form. Week 2 was dominated by injuries, many of them to star players.
Due to injuries, this week's NFL MVP power rankings had to say goodbye to two players who made last week's list
: Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. Both exited their Week 2 matchups early before their respective teams lost, and both could miss more time in weeks ahead.As similar devastating injuries happened across the league, several players continued to put together MVP campaigns with résumé-building outings in Week 2. The NFL's calendar flips to Week 3, and these 10 players' names are heating up in the NFL MVP conversation:
NFL MVP power rankings: Week 3
1. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Allen was already the leader in the clubhouse after his incredible season-opening performance against the Houston Texans, a team that boasted one of the league's best defenses in 2025. His 334 passing yards last week were his most in a game since Week 1 last year, and he also scored four total touchdowns: two in the air, two on the ground.
In Week 2, Allen's performance was arguably even better, despite a lower completion rate (69% vs. 64.5%) and fewer passing yards (248). The Bills' quarterback threw three touchdown passes against the Lions and rushed for 69 yards and two more rushing touchdowns on 14 carries. Allen led Buffalo to 446 yards of offense a week after it tallied 409 yards. The Bills scored touchdowns on all five trips to the red zone after going 1-for-3 in Week 1. They only punted twice.
Big tests remain for Allen and head coach Joe Brady's offense in the weeks ahead: at the Rams on "Monday Night Football" in Week 5 then at the Vikings on "MNF" in Week 9. For now, this year's MVP is still Allen's to lose.
2. QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Shough's 2026 debut started shaky but finished strong. His follow-up performance in Week 2 was similar, but with fewer mistakes at the beginning – ultimately allowing the Saints to march back and win the game in the fourth quarter.
New Orleans' second-year quarterback threw a couple of interceptions and struggled to lead the offense on scoring drives in Week 1. In Week 2, Shough never turned the ball over, cut down on sacks, enhanced his completion rate and showed off more of his rushing ability. And when the fourth quarter began, Shough's magic returned. He tied the game with a strong throw to wideout Chris Olave and scored the game-winner on a QB sneak. Shough and the Saints finally get to play at home against the Raiders in Week 3 after a big win on the road against the Ravens
3. QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Purdy was solid in his Week 1 performance against the Rams in Australia, getting the ball out quickly against a powerful defense and helping manage San Francisco's offense en route to a big win Down Under. Purdy's second game of the season was against a much weaker defense, and it displayed a near-perfect version of the former Mr. Irrelevant that demonstrated a possible ceiling for him.
The 49ers' quarterback was 20-for-22 (90.9%) for 287 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins. He also ran three times for 30 yards and a touchdown. The eye-popper is that completion rate, which wasn't entirely a result of dinky short throws against a poorly equipped defense. Purdy made some legit throws against Miami in Week 2 that helped carry the 49ers to a 35-13 win.
San Francisco's quarterback now leads the NFL in completion rate (80.4%) and success rate (67.9%). He's also the only starting quarterback through two weeks who hasn't yet taken a sack. In the near future, Purdy and the 49ers face a couple of big tests: the Broncos in Week 4 and the Seahawks in Week 5. Strong performances against both teams' strong defenses could boost Purdy even further up these rankings.
4. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson doesn't deserve too much blame for the Ravens' loss to the Saints in Week 2. Some of that is on his team's play-calling – why Baltimore stopped getting running back Derrick Henry the ball after a strong first half is a mystery. Some of it is on the lack of weapons around him in Week 2 given the injuries to wide receivers Zay Flowers and Ja'Kobi Lane in Week 1. Some of it is the back-breaking penalties that erased big plays throughout the game.
Through two weeks, Jackson leads the NFL in yards per attempt (10), is sixth in the league in passing success rate (54.1%) and passing yards (559) and 10th in the league in completion rate (67.9%). The Ravens' starter is also still getting extra yardage with his legs, with 74 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 attempts.
5. RB Kenneth Walker, Kansas City Chiefs
Walker seemed to unlock a new dimension of the Chiefs' offense with his 173-yard performance in Week 1. That same trend continued with a 117-yard day against the Colts on "Sunday Night Football" that also included 10 targets, six catches (both second-most on the team in Week 2) and 61 receiving yards.
The reigning Super Bowl MVP's teammate and quarterback likely will surpass his MVP candidacy soon, but Walker's 47 rush attempts and 290 rushing yards both lead the NFL through two weeks. His efforts in the run game are a big part of why the Chiefs were able to unleash Mahomes and his deep ball again after years of those plays going missing. If Kansas City ends up back atop the AFC West and in Super Bowl contention in 2026, it will be in no small part because of what Walker has done with his explosive runs in this offense.
6. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes did not fully look like himself in Week 1 – his first game back from the torn ACL and LCL that ended his 2025 season last December. His average depth of target was just 4.6 yards – third-lowest in the NFL last week – and he was off-target on a lot of his throws. The Chiefs leaned heavier on Walker to win their season-opener.
In Week 2, Mahomes looked like Mahomes. Not just the version fans have grown accustomed to in recent years with two-deep safety coverage limiting his capacity to show off his arm, but the version that ripped opposing defenses apart early in his career. As Walker and Kansas City's run game get off to a hot start, it's opened up more opportunities for Mahomes to flex his big-time throwing ability.
While there were plenty of short throws against the Colts on Sunday night – the Chiefs' quarterback had an ADOT of 6.9, still well below his career average of 7.9 – two deep throws stood out. Mahomes' completions to Tyquan Thornton for 45 and 30 yards were the big highlights from his 382-yard, three-touchdown day and will start to make fans wonder if the vintage version of the two-time MVP is back.
7. QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Young is off to the kind of start to 2026 that finally seems to be justifying his billing as the top pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Panthers' undersized quarterback led his team to their first win in Week 2 after a strong effort against the Bears to open the season, and he's quietly among the NFL's leaders in several passing categories.
Through two weeks, Young is tied for the league lead in passing touchdowns (6), second in the NFL in passing yards (648), third in yards per attempt (8.9), sixth in passer rating (113.3) and 10th in success rate (49.4%). Granted, Young's opponents so far – the Bears and Falcons – are not expected to stand among the league's best defenses by the end of the year, but he can't control who he plays, only how he plays. Against those two teams, Young played very well.
8. QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
All hail Dak Prescott, the new Cowboys passing touchdowns king. Dallas' starter broke Tony Romo's franchise record against the Commanders on Sept. 20 with his 249th career touchdown pass, which was also his fourth of the evening and sixth of the season – tied for the league lead.
After a rough game against the Giants in Week 1 – partly a result of four dropped passes – Prescott came alive in Week 2 with a 279-yard, four-touchdown day. His 83.9% completion rate was also the seventh-best of his career and the fourth-best in a game with at least 30 pass attempts. The Cowboys' quarterback is now fourth in the league with a 73.8% completion rate and third with a 56.7% success rate.
9. RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Henry had 53 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries (4.8 YPC) in the first half of the Ravens' Week 2 loss to the Saints. Declan Doyle, Baltimore's new offensive coordinator, only called his number five more times in the second half.
The Ravens' veteran running back finished the day with 68 yards and one score on the ground, plus 19 yards on three receptions in Week 2. Through the first two games of the season, Henry is second in the NFL with 212 rushing yards, eighth in the NFL with 5.3 yards per carry, and he's tied for the league lead with four rushing scores and a 70% success rate on rushes.
10. RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
The Colts may be 0-2, but that is no fault of Taylor's. The lead back in Indianapolis has put together back-to-back games with 90+ rushing yards, 20+ receiving yards and two touchdowns to begin the season. He was a true bell cow against the Chiefs on "Sunday Night Football," toting the rock 24 times on a night where no other Colt had more than three rush attempts.
Taylor is tied with Derrick Henry and Josh Allen for the league lead in rushing scores (4), is third in the NFL in rushing first downs (13) and fifth in rushing yards (190). He's also second in the league in rushes of 10+ yards, with eight, per Pro Football Focus.
Honorable mention: QB Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
Lock is about to hand the reins back to Sam Darnold as the Seahawks' regular starter returns from a glute injury, but he deserves recognition for a more-than-admirable stint filling in. Seattle's backup quarterback holds PFF's top quarterback grade for "Offense" (92.1) and "Pass" (91.4) through two weeks. He's second in the NFL in big-time throws (5) and first in big-time throw percentage (9.8%), per PFF. Lock has not thrown an interception and leads the NFL with his 127.3 passer rating.
As a backup quarterback, Lock doesn't have a real shot at MVP (unless something catastrophic happens), but this two-game start will matter if the race for an NFC West title is tight down the stretch again.
Honorable mention: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
A wide receiver has never won MVP, but Smith-Njigba might have a case to be the first if he continues this level of production. After 122 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, he tallied 155 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2. A back-to-back Offensive (Oefensive?) Player of the Year Award is well within reach for the Emerald City Route Artist through two games, despite missing his starting quarterback for almost all of those two outings.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL MVP power rankings Week 3: Where does Patrick Mahomes land?
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