NFL MVP: Non-QBs Shake Up The Power Rankings Through 4 Games

Geoff Magliocchetti October 9, 2026 Fact checked by: Matt Moreno No Comments

Quarterbacks led the way in our NFL MVP rankings after the first quarter but there’s an invasion at the top.

It’s essentially the end of the first quarter in the NFL.

Every team on the 2026 circuit has played at least four games and now gets a chance to retreat to the sideline and prepare for what’s next. While the extra game added to the ledger renders scheduled symmetry impossible, the four-game point is nonetheless a landmark, one where it’s fully fair to analyze the race for individual awards, namely the tight-knit race for NFL Most Valuable Player.

Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after scoring a 60 yard touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the third quarter in the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

On paper, that should be a relatively easy task: quarterbacks have won all but two such titles since 2001 and that streak shows little signs of stopping. TeamFB7’s own preseason list featured a clean sweep of quarterbacks as voters have long been enchanted by the aerially-gifted. This season, however, has granted plenty of surprises in its opening stanzas … who says you have to wait until the third act to take in a twist?

With that in mind, TeamFB7 investigates and ranks the names that should be involved in the not-so-early MVP chase …

1. RB Kenneth Walker III, Kansas City

Preseason Ranking: N/A

Kenneth Walker III already has one high-profile MVP award sitting on his mantle. The way he’s working in the early going could give his Super Bowl honor some company if he keeps up the pace and continually stations Kansas City at or near the top of the ledgers.

The Chiefs’ resurgence, one that has them standing as one of the NFL’s three perfect teams after Week 4, could easily be contributed to Travis Kelce‘s return to form and Patrick Mahomes getting back from injury. It’d be foolish to deny such factors but Walker has accomplished can’t be denied.

Mahomes’ late injury stole the headlines of the Chiefs’ lost 2025 season but a deeper look shows that things were doomed long before that. One of the primary subplots in gridiron tragicomedy was the lack of a consistent run game, headlined by the since-departed Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco and relying too heavily on Mahomes mobility.

Kansas City never dabbled at the top of the league in the run game during its recent glory days, but placing 24th in the department while Mahomes struggled and later fell to the medical bug was particularly glaring last time time around. A Mahomes scramble always has “SportsCenter Top 10” potential but relying on such excitement is no longer a viable approach after he underwent ACL and LCL repairs.

Walker’s emergence has kept Mahomes fresh for the ever-dangerous passing game: with Walker leading the league in rushing (537 yards through the first four), Mahomes has carried the ball just 12 times through the first four games, his lowest ground workload since 2019. It’s certainly not a conventional way of defining MVP, but going beyond the realm of the passer is likewise out of the ordinary and an approach that voters shouldn’t be afraid of pursuing.

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While the purpose and value of a running back in the modern NFL continues to be debated, the position has appeared on the MVP trophy as recently as 2012, when Adrian Peterson took home the title for the Minnesota Vikings. What Walker has done for the Kansas City cause can’t be overlooked despite being accompanied by some elite teammates.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba Seattle Seahawks
Steph Chambers/Getty Images

2. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle

Preseason Ranking: N/A

Shockingly, no receiver has ever won the official NFL MVP title determined by the Associated Press. Jerry Rice‘s 22-touchdown campaign in 1987 perhaps came closest but that wasn’t enough to dethrone John Elway or even Mark Moseley, the Washington Redskins kicker that took the title home five years prior.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba perhaps stands as one of the most prominent threats to that lack of exclusivity, having scored 6 touchdowns through the first four games of the Seattle Seahawks’ title defense. He’s responsible for the longest passing hook-up in the league this season (an 82-yard touchdown in the Week 2 win over Arizona) and his 15-yard average reception is tops among the five who have caught at least 30 this year.

For as much flack the MVP award has received for apparently becoming the “most popular quarterback” title, it’s easy to see why that’s occurred: many a disappointing season has been written off by the dark comfort of “we lost our QB.” Baltimore, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Washington were among those who dealt with such issues last year. What the Chicago Bears have done/are doing in the wake of Caleb Williams’ departure is widely viewed as the exception rather than the norm.

That makes it increasingly difficult, and some would say impossible, for a receiver to rise above the medical angst to prevail in the MVP conversation. Sometimes injuries don’t even play a part in it: one has to wonder how many of Rice’s records Larry Fitzgerald would’ve flirted with if not for the post-Kurt Warner quarterback oblivion he dealt with in Arizona.

This time around, Seattle could’ve fallen victim to the medical side of the trope after watching Sam Darnold  give way to Drew Lock in the season opener. Smith-Njigba, however, literally kept the ball rolling by keeping up his usual brand of production with the career journeyman Lock at the helm. Smith-Njigba put together two of the top 20 receiving performances of the season with a backup quarterback, allowing Seattle to keep pace with not only the cutthroat nature of the NFC West but with its rent payments in the NFL penthouse.

If that’s not providing the purest definition of MVP’s middle initial, especially in this early point of the year, nobody knows what is.

3. QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco

Preseason Ranking: N/A

We now return to our regularly-schedule passing programming atop the NFL MVP list. As long as we’re regurgitating tired tropes, one of the most famous men to hold the Mr. Irrelevant title is hardly living up to his namesake.

The early stages of this San Francisco 49ers season have resembled a seasonal slasher film, with name brand talents missing either small or sizable portions of the season. Heck, this year could well serve as the sequel, as the franchise quarterback was an injury list staple during the early endeavors. All that and more had some believing that the 49ers were destined to lose their way in wild wild West.

Brock Purdy, however, has helped soften, if not completely cover up, any idea of regression to the tune of an NFL-best 11 touchdown through the first four weeks. Perhaps partly energized by the acquisition of veteran target Mike Evans, Purdy has done a brilliant job of taking care of the ball, losing just one turnover through the air after throwing three during the Niners’ most recent postseason cameo. Purdy was intercepted on a career-worst 3.5% of his passes last season. That’s down to less than one this time around and he’s leading both the conventional and advanced passer rating categories through the first four weeks.

While his yardage marks probably aren’t helping anyone win their fantasy football showdowns (he has yet to hit the triple-century mark so far this year), Purdy’s consistency is most welcome after the Niners endured a bit of a rollercoaster tour last time around. Purdy’s MVP campaign can begin in earnest this coming Sunday when San Francisco, already armed with a vital tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Rams, visits the defending champion Seahawks in the late afternoon slate (1:25 p.m. PT, FOX).

4. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo

Preseason Ranking: 1st

There’s finally some preseason representation on this list, as Josh Allen has brought the Highmark Stadium magic over to his new building and then some.

Talk about Allen’s MVP resume feels redundant at this point. If not for the sheer drop-off in talent (Allen would no doubt be at or near the top of a hypothetical WAR equivalent that baseball seems to cherish more than anything else these days), one could almost make the case for keeping Allen warm until the playoffs, the one gridiron area where he has anything left to prove, begin.

Between his air and ground work, Allen is responsible for 13 total touchdown this year and is slinging it to the tune of a career-best 13.2 yards per completion. To put that number in perspective, Allen would rank third in team points per game if he played for the champion and fellow Empire State dwellers on the hardwood (and second if he played for the far closer Toronto Raptors).

So why isn’t Allen the shoo-in for the top spot here? It appears he’s in playoff form for all the wrong reasons: Allen has endured three interceptions over the last three games and has coughed up at least one fumble in each of his opening quartet. He was able to mask such gaffes in a Week 3 win over the reeling Los Angeles Chargers. Doing so against the desperate AFC finalists from New England, however, was another story, and it cost the Bills a crucial tiebreaker that may come back to bite them later.

Kenneth Walker III #9 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with Patrick Mahomes #15 and Travis Kelce #87 after scoring a two yard touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the fourth quarter in the game at Arrowhead Stadium on September 14, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri.
(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

5. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City

Preseason Ranking: 2nd

In recognizing some of the early heroes of this NFL season, it was tempting to add variety, whether that came through different positions or new names. There’s plenty of both to go around but it’d be journalistic suicide to leave off Mahomes, who has hardly lost a step upon his return to action.

Any and all concerns about Mahomes’ physical readiness have been rendered long forgotten after the first four weeks: the longtime Kansas City crooner has silenced doubters to the tune of 1,037 yards and 9 scores through the first four games. Mahomes has hardly lost chemistry with familiar faces in the lineup while seamlessly integrating the newcomers. All that and more has allowed the Chiefs to take up their usual residency in the AFC penthouse and some have already pegged them as the favorites again.

Yes, Mahomes has benefitted from Walker’s arrival, as well as the post-marital bliss of Kelce. He’s about to get a golden opportunity to prove his MVP case with Tyquan Thornton potentially out for the rest of the regular season due to a brutal ankle injury (one that has rekindled rumors of Tyreek Hill‘s return to Arrowhead). Sometimes, however, one just can’t mess with a classic, and Mahomes’ game has once again proven timeless.

6. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore

Preseason Ranking: 3rd

It’s not exactly rocket science to note that Lamar Jackson‘s absence has been more haunting in Baltimore than anything Poe could pen. With regular season doubters once again rising in the wake of another injury-interrupted campaign, Jackson is once proving that he’s far more than a human highlight reel.

Jackson made his value noticeable from the get-go: he has no fumbles in the last three games and he has just one interception to his 2026 name. At 3-1 with Jackson back in the lineup, Baltimore has generated something of an early cushion in the AFC North, which also features a Cincinnati Bengal streak feel back to form, a Pittsburgh Steeler squad looking to send Aaron Rodgers into retirement in style and the Cleveland Browns enjoying something of a resurgence.

For better or worse, Baltimore and the rest of the league is about to find out just how well Jackson puts the V in MVP for this year’s group: Jackson has been ruled out for the Ravens’ Week 5 fracas against Atlanta in primetime, turning starter duties over to his recurring backup Tyler Huntley.

7. RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta

Preseason Ranking: N/A

Speaking of the Falcons, Week 5 marks the end of a three-game streak of national television appearances for the Georgians. Such a concept sounded like gridiron torture after Week 2. Now, it’s downright peachy and could leave viewers wanting more. The national stage, as well as Atlanta’s quarterback chaos, has provided the perfect setup for Bijan Robinson‘s multi-faceted talents, which have him second in yards from scrimmage behind Walker at 614.

Forced to carry the load during the debut portions of the season (he picked up 173 total yards in Week 1 and that still wasn’t enough to stifle the Steelers), Robinson has further flourished with Michael Penix Jr. returning to action: the 339 yards that he picked up in the last two weeks is the highest he has earned in any back-to-back span of his career, as the Falcons picked up sizable victories over Green Bay and New Orleans.

One of the most bittersweet honors in recent NFL memory has to be the NFC South divisional title, a crown that lacks a certain prestige and sparkle. Even if Atlanta prevails among that cursed quartet, they likely won’t be favored in the home playoff game that comes with a divisional triumph, which should only cloud the eyes of voters if and when they see his name on a potential ballot. A talent like Robinson, however, renders any and all pregame outlooks unpredictable. We included Robinson as part of our dark horse candidates for NFL MVP before the season.

8. QB Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas

Preseason Ranking: N/A

You like that? Las Vegas Raiders fans certainly do.

No doubt assisted by a strong defensive effort, 38-year-old Kirk Cousins has nonetheless been a guiding force for an offense that remained mostly static beyond losing Brock Bowers for two games and the biggest aerial acquisition being Seattle reserve Cody White.

Cousins’ success amid those developments has only added to his budding Sin City legend, one that has him tied for the league-lead in touchdown passes, with Purdy, and turned White into one of the league’s more reliable goal line options. It has also allowed Las Vegas to be patient with a sputtering run game (though Cousins’ collaboration with Ashton Jeanty through the air has been a welcome development) and touted No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, whose early Sunday impact has been felt purely through State Farm commercials.

All that and more will make it all the sadder if and when Cousins is inevitably jettisoned from the starting spot in favor of Mendoza at the first sign of trouble, not unlike the way Warner was usurped from the 2004 New York Giants job in favor of Eli Manning. But what Cousins has accomplished can’t be ignored and such success could wind up extending of the NFL’s most enduring careers even further.

9. QB Jared Goff, Detroit

Preseason Ranking: N/A

There are MVP titles earned out of dominance. They can be obtained through breakout success. But one of the more intriguing methods is the MVP won through necessity.

That’s what Jared Goff is dealing with in the Motor City, forced to lead the Lions through a historically poor defensive output in the early going. Forced to work relative overtime with his pride allowing over 300 yards a game through the air, Goff has been able to match that output and then some, entering this week ranked second in passing yards.

It’s enough to have some wondering if the Lions were the ones that made out better in the polarizing swap of Goff for Matthew Stafford, even if the shine of the latter’s SoCal ring is particularly blinding until further notice. Goff, admittedly, does have the benefit of working with scrimmage yards master Jahmyr Gibbs, but the NFL’s preference for passing heroes works in his favor, as does his control of the statistical ledgers.

When it comes to that last regard, Goff is the headliner of a bizarre list of starters to not throw an interception yet: among men to start all four games under center, Goff is in that exclusive, if not unexpected, brotherhood with Geno Smith and CJ Stroud. In all three cases, it’s keeping their respective teams afloat. Only Goff, however, has been fully capable of doing something extraordinary with it, a feeling that heightens fortyfold with but one look at the defensive ledgers.

10. LB Dallas Turner, Minnesota

Preseason Ranking: N/A

It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a defensive player to make any sort of headway in the bi-partisan NFL awards, especially the one where passing exclusivity reigns supreme.

Having said that, it feels wrong excluding the third and final perfect team left on the ledgers after the first quarter. With the Vikings conquering lands abroad through a good old-fashioned defensive effort (not to mention the reliable kicking of Will Reichard), Dallas Turner deserves some brand of recognition for leading the blitz-happy Minnesotans that have flourished under Brian Flores‘ trigger-happy schemes.

Turner has led an effort that has been anything but a no-rough-stuff type of deal for the Vikings’ opponents, as the pass rush leads almost every advanced and conventional metric. He has made the most of an NFL-best 49 blitzes (leading a clean sweep of Vikings in the top three next to Eric Wilson and Blake Cashman) to the tune of 5.5 sacks (second in the league behind Gregory Rousseau), 9 hurries, and 7 further quarterback hits.

Ultimately, Turner’s hardware destiny likely lingers with the Defensive Player of the Year title. Realistically, it’s more likely he’s off the MVP ballot entirely rather than anywhere near the final podium, which is more damning of how the league views modern defense than anything he has accomplished. Even so, Turner deserves recognition for being one of the NFL’s early breakout stars and should be applauded for engaging in the rare business of generating victories through the lesser-heralded side of the modern ball.

Geoff Maglioccchetti is on X @GeoffJMags

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