EST NFL MVP Rankings: The Top 5 Candidates After Two Months of the 2026 Season

November 3, 2026 | Ethical Sports Takes

Two months of the 2026 NFL season are in the books, and the MVP race is beginning to take shape.

Through nine weeks, we’ve seen dominant quarterback performances, unexpected contenders, remarkable individual production, and players carrying their teams through difficult stretches.

At Ethical Sports Takes, our MVP rankings aren’t determined solely by passing yards, touchdowns, or team records. We consider individual excellence, efficiency, consistency, and most importantly, how much a player contributes to his team’s success.

Four quarterbacks make our inaugural top five, but one wide receiver has been so exceptional that leaving him out would be difficult to justify.

Here are our five leading candidates after two months.

5. Jaxon Smith-Njigba — WR, Seattle Seahawks

Team Record: 4–4

2026 Season Statistics:

Games: 8
Receptions: 64
Receiving Yards: 985
Rushing Yards: 29
Total Scrimmage Yards: 1,014
Receiving Touchdowns: 9
Yards per Reception: 15.4

Quarterbacks dominate the MVP conversation, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba has earned his place among the league’s most valuable players.

With 1,014 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns through eight games, Smith-Njigba has established himself as one of the NFL’s most dangerous offensive weapons.

But perhaps the most astonishing statistic of his season puts his production into an entirely different perspective.

According to Pro Football Focus, Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 985 receiving yards are more than the combined production of wide receivers on TEN different NFL teams, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings.

Let that sink in. One player has more receiving yards than the entire wide receiver corps of nearly a third of the NFL.

His ability to create separation, produce explosive plays, and consistently deliver in important situations has made him the centerpiece of Seattle’s passing attack.

Even when opposing defenses know where the football is going, stopping him has proved extremely difficult.

His production has been remarkably consistent, with six games exceeding 100 receiving yards and multiple performances that have carried Seattle’s offense.

Seattle’s recent loss to Chicago hurts his candidacy, but it doesn’t erase what he’s accomplished.

The challenge for Smith-Njigba is obvious: winning MVP as a wide receiver is extraordinarily difficult. He’ll need to sustain his remarkable production while helping Seattle improve its 4–4 record.

Nevertheless, surpassing 1,000 scrimmage yards in just eight games while outproducing ten entire NFL wide receiver groups is exceptional.

His individual excellence deserves recognition, and that’s why he earns a place in our top five.

4. Jordan Love — QB, Green Bay Packers

Team Record: 5–3

2026 Season Statistics:

Games: 8
Passing Yards: 2,246
Passing Touchdowns: 16
Interceptions: 6
Completion Percentage: 61.5%
Passer Rating: 92.4
Rushing Yards: 10
Rushing Touchdowns: 1
Total Touchdowns: 17

Jordan Love might have one of the strongest arguments for being genuinely valuable to his team of anyone in the NFL.

The Green Bay Packers are 5–3, having won four of their last five games, and Love has been the driving force behind their success.

What’s remarkable isn’t simply what Love has accomplished. It’s what he’s been forced to overcome.

Green Bay’s offensive line has been among the worst in football. Through seven games, the Packers ranked dead last in pass-block win rate at just 31%.

Their rushing attack has been equally concerning, averaging a league-low 59.9 yards per game over that stretch. Without a dependable ground game, opposing defenses can focus on pressuring Love and defending the pass.

And when Love does deliver an accurate throw, his receivers haven’t always held up their end of the bargain.

Green Bay’s receivers lead the NFL in dropped passes, with the Packers recording 18 drops through their first seven games. That number is staggering, especially considering how many opportunities Love has created despite inadequate protection.

Love currently has 16 passing touchdowns, but with better execution from his receiving corps, he could realistically already be sitting on 20 or more. His statistical production doesn’t fully capture the quality of his quarterback play.

Then there’s the kicking situation.

Against Detroit, the Packers lost 20–17 despite missing two field goals, including a 35-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter that could have given Green Bay the lead. A potential go-ahead touchdown pass was also dropped by Josh Jacobs.

The Packers could easily have emerged from that game victorious, but Love was let down by mistakes beyond his control.

Despite these problems, he’s thrown for 2,246 yards and 16 touchdowns while keeping Green Bay firmly in the NFC playoff picture.

Love isn’t having a flawless season. His six interceptions and 61.5% completion percentage leave room for improvement.

But the MVP award isn’t simply about rewarding the quarterback with the prettiest statistics.

It’s about value.

And considering Green Bay’s struggles with protection, rushing, receiving consistency, and special teams, Love’s importance to the Packers is difficult to overstate.

Without him, it’s hard to imagine Green Bay sitting above .500.

That’s why Jordan Love earns fourth place in our MVP rankings after two months.

3. Josh Allen — QB, Buffalo Bills

Team Record: 6–1

2026 Season Statistics:

Games: 7
Passing Yards: 1,793
Passing Touchdowns: 11
Interceptions: 5
Completion Percentage: 65.9%
Rushing Yards: 270
Rushing Touchdowns: 9
Total Touchdowns: 20

Josh Allen remains one of the NFL’s most complete offensive players.

Through the opening two months, Allen has accumulated 20 total touchdowns, combining his powerful arm with the rushing ability that makes him such a difficult quarterback to defend.

He can beat opponents from the pocket, extend plays when protection breaks down, and turn seemingly unsuccessful possessions into crucial first downs.

Allen’s value becomes even more apparent when considering Buffalo’s defensive inconsistencies. The Bills have needed their quarterback to shoulder a substantial offensive burden, and he has repeatedly answered that responsibility.

His ability to influence games in multiple ways gives him an advantage over most traditional pocket passers.

However, this year’s MVP race features several quarterbacks producing at an exceptional level, and Allen faces serious competition for the top spot.

For now, he sits third in our rankings, but the difference between the leading candidates is far from insurmountable.

2. Brock Purdy — QB, San Francisco 49ers

Team Record: 6–1

2026 Season Statistics:

Games: 7
Passing Yards: 1,748
Passing Touchdowns: 15
Interceptions: 4
Completion Percentage: 69.2%
Passer Rating: 110.1
Rushing Yards: 161
Rushing Touchdowns: 1

Brock Purdy continues to demonstrate why he belongs among the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.

With 1,748 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes, and a passer rating above 110, Purdy has combined efficiency with consistent production.

What makes his season particularly impressive is the adversity surrounding San Francisco’s receiving corps.

Injuries have forced the 49ers to adjust their offensive personnel, yet Purdy has continued delivering accurate throws, making intelligent decisions, and keeping the offense productive.

His success cannot simply be dismissed as the product of a talented supporting cast.

Purdy has demonstrated an ability to execute under difficult circumstances, and San Francisco’s 6–1 record reinforces his importance to the team.

He doesn’t always produce the most spectacular highlights, but MVP conversations should reward sustained excellence just as much as individual moments of brilliance.

At the two-month mark, Purdy has done enough to earn second place in our rankings.

1. Joe Burrow — QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Team Record: 5–2

2026 Season Statistics:

Games: 7
Passing Yards: 2,115
Passing Touchdowns: 20
Rushing Touchdowns: 2
Total Touchdowns: 22
Interceptions: 6
Completion Percentage: 73.0%
Passer Rating: 111.6

Our MVP frontrunner after two months is Joe Burrow, and his performances over the last two weeks have made his case increasingly difficult to dispute.

The Cincinnati quarterback has been outstanding, throwing for 2,115 yards and a league-leading 20 passing touchdowns while completing an exceptional 73% of his attempts.

However, the statistics alone don’t tell the entire story.

Against the Baltimore Ravens, Burrow endured a difficult opening half before completely taking over the game. After Cincinnati trailed 13–0, he threw four touchdown passes in the second half alone, transforming a difficult afternoon into a convincing 35–13 Bengals victory.

Four touchdowns in one half against a division rival is an extraordinary performance, and Burrow demonstrated exactly why he belongs at the top of the MVP conversation.

Then came Tennessee.

Burrow followed his four-touchdown performance against Baltimore with an even more remarkable display against the Titans, accounting for six total touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 43–36 overtime victory.

He completed 38 of 48 passes for 462 yards and five passing touchdowns before delivering the decisive blow himself, scrambling nine yards for the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

That made it ten total touchdowns across two consecutive games, an astonishing stretch of offensive production.

Burrow wasn’t flawless against Tennessee, throwing three interceptions, but his ability to respond to mistakes and repeatedly deliver scoring drives was exceptional.

In consecutive weeks, he has demonstrated his ability to take control of games in dramatically different circumstances.

His combination of accuracy, production, and command of Cincinnati’s offense has made him one of the most difficult quarterbacks in football to stop.

The Bengals have endured some inconsistency, but Burrow’s outstanding performances have helped them establish a 5–2 record.

With 22 total touchdowns, outstanding efficiency, and back-to-back performances that few quarterbacks could replicate, Joe Burrow has earned the top position in our inaugural MVP rankings.

The race remains wide open, but through the opening two months of the 2026 NFL season, Burrow has set the standard.

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