The reigning king has been dethroned.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is no longer the top-ranked player on the 2026 NFL MVP power rankings. Despite the Bills' third straight win and his two additional rushing touchdowns, Allen's three giveaways against the Chargers were not the mark of an MVP front-runner.
A Week 2 loaded with injuries meant saying goodbye to some players that made the cut for the power rankings after the 2026 season's first week. In Week 3, a few more injuries hit, but the biggest changes to this list came from performance.
Allen is the headliner for his drop out of the top spot, but several other players moved around – including a few departures from last week's rankings and a few newcomers this week.
As the NFL's calendar
flips to Week 4, these 10 players' names are the main ones to watch in the NFL MVP conversation:
NFL MVP power rankings: Week 4
1. QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
All hail the new king. Purdy earned the top spot partly because of Allen's poor Week 3 performance, but he also played well enough to move up from his previous third-place spot. One week after throwing as many touchdowns as he had incompletions (2), Purdy hit season highs with 297 passing yards and four touchdown throws. He also rushed twice for 34 yards. His 55.6% completion rate was less impressive, but it's notable that he's still without targets De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson – and that Mike Evans left Week 3's clash with the Cardinals early with a ribs injury.
Through three weeks, Purdy leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (9), success rate (63.9%) and passer rating (133.1). Perhaps most impressive of all is that Purdy is the last starting quarterback who hasn't taken a sack through three weeks. The only other two quarterbacks with at least one start and no sacks taken debuted this week: Falcons' Michael Penix Jr. and Bears' Case Keenum.
2. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Allen was excellent in the first two weeks of the season, taking it to the Texans and Lions both in the air and on the ground. He had multiple passing touchdowns and multiple rushing touchdowns in each contest, and the Bills were 2-0. Things were rougher for Allen and Buffalo in Week 3. The quarterback threw two interceptions, had a season-low 204 passing yards and took a season-high four sacks – one of which resulted in a lost fumble for his third giveaway of the day.
Still, Allen rushed for two more touchdowns, extending his three-game streak of multiple scores on the ground to start the season. He also led his team to a second fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive after his defense bailed him out with an interception after his lost fumble. The Bills are 3-0 as they head into a Week 4 clash with the reigning AFC champion Patriots.
3. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Jackson and the Ravens made a little Maracanã magic at the Rio de Janeiro stadium for the NFL's first game in the Brazilian capital. After Baltimore's defense held the Cowboys to a field goal to tie the game with seven seconds left in regulation, Jackson and the offense capitalized on coaching miscues to get the win. The two-time MVP's 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers was the play with the most direct impact on the Ravens' victory, but Jackson made plays with his arm and legs all game against a struggling Dallas defense. He went 15-for-20 passing for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and he had 50 rushing yards on six carries (8.3 yards per carry)
Jackson still leads the NFL with 9.8 yards per pass attempt and now ranks second in the NFL (behind Purdy) with his 56.8% success rate on passes. He's also fourth in the league with a 113.1 passer rating through Week 3, and his 124 rushing yards are the most of any quarterback to start the year.
4. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
After shaking off the rust in Week 1, Mahomes has simply looked like one of the best quarterbacks in football again. His best performance of the year is still his Week 2 "Sunday Night Football" outing, when he threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns in the overtime win. Week 3's performance against the Dolphins was statistically weaker in most ways – he had fewer passing yards (246), touchdowns (2) and an interception, but a higher completion rate (83.3%) and yards per attempt (10.3). But Mahomes also made some wildly skilled throws against the Dolphins' secondary.
The Chiefs' veteran is now Pro Football Focus' (PFF) highest-graded starting quarterback in the league, including a 99.9 (nearly perfect) grade on passes 20+ yards downfield. A big reason for Mahomes' success (he ranks fourth in the league with a 55.9% success rate) has been Kansas City's ability to establish the run at a level they haven't been able to in recent years. This year, Mahomes is tied for first with 27 completions on play-action passes, and he leads the league with 338 yards and four touchdowns on play-action, according to Next Gen Stats and NFL senior researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno.
5. QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott is the only starting quarterback not named Patrick Mahomes with a PFF passing grade over 85 (he's at 86.3) through three weeks this year. The Cowboys' offense under Prescott and head coach Brian Schottenheimer is a top-10 scoring unit. Dallas's main problem, once again, is its defense, which ranks in the bottom 10 of scoring defenses in the league. Coaching decisions haven't helped either, as the Cowboys' brutal Week 3 loss at the buzzer in Rio proved.
With a 1-2 record, Prescott will need to find a way to captain his team to more wins to be a serious MVP contender. It has not been for lack of trying. Prescott's Week 1 interception against the Giants is his only turnover of the year; he ranks 13th in the NFL with 730 passing yards; he's seventh in the league with his 52.8% success rate and he's ninth with a 107.2 passer rating. Prescott has also only taken three sacks in three games, keeping negative plays on dropbacks to a minimum. His 7.9% pressure-to-sack ratio is second only to Purdy (who hasn't taken a sack yet) this year, per PFF.
6. QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Lawrence made this list after an excellent Week 1 debut, but he fell out of the rankings after a much less impressive outing in a Week 2 loss. Well, he's back ahead of Week 4 after his three-touchdown performance against the Patriots – one that could've been a four-touchdown outing (one rushing) if he didn't kneel at the 1-yard line.
The Jaguars' quarterback largely had to work with what the Patriots' defense gave him, finishing with the lowest average depth of target (ADOT) of the season so far: 6.7 yards. Jacksonville mostly rode its running backs on offense, but when Lawrence had to win with his arm, he did, including with another highlight touchdown throw. On third down, he and the Jaguars converted eight of 12 attempts, and they scored touchdowns on all five trips to the end zone. Through three weeks, Lawrence ranks seventh among quarterbacks with three starts with his 0.241 EPA/play.
7. RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
The Lions' offense runs through Gibbs. Of Detroit's 1,105 yards of total offense through Week 3, their lead running back is responsible for 463 of them, or 41.9%. Not only is Gibbs tied for fourth in the NFL with 65 rush attempts and fourth with 307 rushing yards, he also leads all running backs with 21 targets and 156 receiving yards. Gibbs' 18 receptions, which also lead all running backs, are tied for 10th among all NFL pass-catchers.
Against the Jets this week, Gibbs scored three of the Lions' four touchdowns. He rushed 20 times for 99 yards with two scores on the ground, and he led Detroit with seven catches. His 65 receiving yards were one behind Isaac TeSlaa for the team lead this past week as well, and Gibbs' fourth-quarter touchdown catch was the game-winner.
8. QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Burrow, one of the preseason betting favorites for MVP, earned a spot in the power rankings this week for his best outing of the year. Ironically, it came in the Bengals' first loss.
Cincinnati's starter set season highs in passing yards (282), passing touchdowns (3), completion rate (75.7%), yards per attempt (7.6) and passer rating (123.9) in Week 3's loss to the Steelers. Burrow did lose a fumble at the worst point in the game – on a strip sack with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter with his team in game-tying field goal range – but he was otherwise excellent.
9. RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
In Week 1, Robinson was responsible for 73% of the Falcons' total offensive yards – with 173 of them (83 rushing, 90 receiving) – and earned a spot in the MVP power rankings. The Carolina Panthers managed to hold him to just 81 scrimmage yards in Week 2, but the Green Bay Packers had no such luck in Week 3 as Robinson put together one of the best games of his career.
Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries in Green Bay. He also caught two passes for 19 yards. The Falcons' lead running back was unstoppable, and his impact stretched beyond his direct contributions and production. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., making his 2026 debut, found a rhythm against the Packers because they had to respect Robinson and the run game. Penix went off for 256 yards – his fourth-most in a start in his career – and a 72% completion rate – third-highest in his career.
10. RB Kenneth Walker, Kansas City Chiefs
Walker is in the lead for this year's rushing title with his 360 total rushing yards – an average of 120 per game. Week 3 was his weakest outing of the year as he "only" had 70 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The reigning Super Bowl MVP also caught two passes for three yards and a receiving touchdown.
As with Robinson, Walker's argument for MVP consideration is almost more about what he unlocks for the rest of the team. His production is plenty impressive on its own, given how he ranks at or near the top of the league in most statistical categories. But Walker's ability to break off explosive runs is something the Chiefs have been missing in recent seasons. As teams are forced into respecting Kansas City's run game, it opens up more opportunities for Mahomes to win with his arm. Win, he has, with top marks in play-action passing and deep throws (see above) so far this year.
Honorable mention: QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
No team has leaned harder on their quarterback's arm than the Saints have on Shough's. He leads the league in attempts (132) and completions (91), ranks second in the league with 917 passing yards and is tied for third with eight passing touchdowns.
Unlike in his prior two outings, there was no slow or shaky start against Las Vegas – Shough led a touchdown drive capped by his first of a career-high four touchdown throws on the Saints' second possession. Instead, his final quarter was the least successful. While he only took two sacks, a season low, both were strip sacks and ended in lost fumbles. He also threw an interception in the fourth quarter that allowed the Raiders to extend their lead. Ball security has been an issue for Shough, who leads the NFL with five fumbles and also has three interceptions this year. He really needs to cut down on those to re-enter the power rankings as a possible MVP candidate; otherwise, his performance in Year 2 has been good.
Honorable mention: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
For a third straight week, Smith-Njigba has been relegated to honorable-mention status for the sole crime of being a wide receiver. A wideout has never won the NFL MVP award, as voters tend to favor the quarterback getting the ball to receivers over the pass-catchers themselves.
One way Smith-Njigba could stand out is by proving how quarterback-proof he is. He tallied more than 120 receiving yards in the first two weeks of the season, with Seahawks backup Drew Lock throwing most of the passes after starter Sam Darnold's glute injury in Week 1.
When Darnold returned in Week 3, Smith-Njigba went off once again, with a season-high 10 catches for 128 more yards and two touchdowns against the Commanders. Regardless of MVP chances, the Emerald City Route Artist is a shoo-in for the Offensive Player of the Year award as things stand: a 2,405-yard, 42-touchdown pace through three weeks.
NFL MVP betting odds
Here's how betting odds look for the NFL MVP award through three weeks of the 2026 season, according to DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 29:
- QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: +260
- QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers: +425
- QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens: +600
- QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs: +800
- QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals: +850
- QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: +1000
- QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys: +2000
- QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: +2800
- QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles: +2800
- RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions: +2800
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL MVP power rankings Week 4: We have a new leader in the MVP race
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