2026 NFL MVP Rankings: How Warranted Are Panthers Fans’ MVP Chants for Bryce Young?

As I doomscrolled my TikTok feed one morning this week, a video came across my feed reminding me of the Panthers’ monumental decision to bench quarterback Bryce Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton just two games into his second NFL season.

“He is not an NFL quarterback,” said radio personality Craig Carton in the spliced-together edit of clips. “He will never have great success.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, JaMarcus Russell wasn’t even that bad,” added Stephen A. Smith. “This is maybe the biggest bust in NFL history.”

Needless to say, many had written off the 2023 No. 1 pick after a rocky start to his NFL career. Fast-forward just over two years later, though, and Young has found quite a groove. The 25-year-old leads the NFL in passing yards, has helped the Panthers score more than 30 points per game through four weeks and, following Sunday night’s shootout win over the Lions in prime time, was serenaded with “MVP” chants by Carolina fans as he exited the field.

So that’s where we’ll start our first edition of NFL MVP rankings for the year. With roughly a month of the 2026 campaign now in the books, we have enough of a sample size to take a look at where the race for the league’s top individual honor stands.

Before we get there, though, it’s worth noting that league MVP has become a quarterback-driven award. For 13 consecutive years, signal-callers have taken home the honor. In the 13 years before that, four running backs won the award (Marshall Faulk, Shaun Alexander, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson). Plenty of non-quarterbacks have made an impact on their teams this year and are worth mentioning.

For starters, Chiefs free-agent signing Kenneth Walker III leads the NFL in rushing and has been a major part of Kansas City’s 4–0 start, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba has followed up his Offensive Player of the Year–winning season in 2025 with 100-plus receiving yards in three out of the Seahawks’ first four games and has hauled in a league-leading six receiving touchdowns. Additionally, Giants safety Jevon Holland’s three interceptions through four weeks have aided New York’s 3–1 start despite losing their quarterback in Week 2, and Bills linebacker Greg Rousseau has logged an NFL-high six sacks and registered a pressure rate of 18.8%.

With that said, our list of the top five MVP candidates heading into Week 5 will follow recent trends and is made up of all quarterbacks, starting with the aforementioned Panthers playmaker.

5. Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

2026 stats: 101-for-162 (62.3%), 1,268 yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions, 100.0 passer rating, one rushing touchdown

Young’s ascension from being labeled a draft bust as a rookie to leading a high-powered NFL offense is nothing short (no pun intended) of spectacular. Despite standing at just 5'10" and weighing in at just over 200 pounds, he’s exuding plenty of confidence in both himself and coach Dave Canales’s offense through the first four games of the season.

“When things get chaotic, he stays the same,” Canales said of his quarterback on Monday. “It’s not necessarily that he rises to a moment, it’s just that when the moments get crazy, he is so consistent with how he produces.”

There may be no better example of that than Young’s strike to wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the fourth quarter on Sunday night. With his team facing a third-and-14 with just over three minutes remaining and holding a six-point lead over the Lions, the quarterback dropped back and evaded pressure before dropping a pass just over the outstretched hand of cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. The ball hit McMillan directly in the hands as he toe-tapped along the sideline for a first down, keeping the Panthers’ drive alive.

WOW Tetairoa McMillan 😮

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/FYUOUv4jKR
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 5, 2026

While Young’s performance this season has undoubtedly been valuable, the Panthers still sit at 2–2 on the year and have some work to do—even in the very winnable NFC South.

4. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

2026 stats: 79-for-119 (66.4%), 1,039 yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions, 100.1 passer rating, seven rushing touchdowns

Allen has cooled off a bit after a hot start to the 2026 season. Against the Chargers in Week 3, he failed to throw a touchdown and committed two turnovers despite the Bills ultimately coming away with a win. Then, in last Sunday’s loss to the division-rival Patriots, he was held to four rushing yards—his lowest in a game since Week 7 of 2024, excluding Week 18 in each of the past two seasons.

Still, Allen has accounted for a league-high 13 touchdowns, is averaging a career high 8.7 yards per pass attempt—a testament to new head coach Joe Brady’s aggressive offensive philosophy—and has helped the Bills score an NFL-best 31.8 points per game. He also put Buffalo in position to win last weekend’s game against the Patriots with a 34-yard missile to Keon Coleman for a go-ahead touchdown with just over four minutes to go. Unfortunately, the Bills’ secondary couldn’t stop Efton Chism III’s miraculous one-handed catch that gave New England the win.

JOSH THROWS A ROPE TO KEON COLEMAN AND THE BILLS HAVE THE LEAD@NEvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/LMFJVKt5gT
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026

Ultimately, Allen, who won the award in 2024, still remains arguably the best player in the NFL and will likely only climb this list as the season progresses.

3. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

2026 stats: 72-for-104 (69.2%), 843 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions, 111.2 passer rating

Like Young, Lawrence is another No. 1 pick who has had a career resurgence.

After putting together an impressive 2025 season in which he accounted for 38 total touchdowns and led the Jaguars to both a 14–3 record and their third AFC South title in franchise history, the sixth-year pro has continued his impressive play into ’26—with his comfort in second-year coach Liam Coen’s offense standing out.

Just look at this throw to Jakobi Meyers in Week 3 against the Patriots. After looking to the front side of the read, Lawrence remains calm, works through his progression and rips one through the New England secondary for an easy touchdown.

Trevor Lawrence zips it in to Jakobi Meyers for 6️⃣@NEvsJAX on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/bM92cePTMS
— NFL (@NFL) September 27, 2026

“Trevor just keeps getting better week in and week out,” Coen said this weekend on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. “I think it really all starts with his preparation. … This guy works tirelessly. He’s in my office at 7:30 Thursday night, going over red zone plays, concepts, defenses. I think it just allows him to go play freely on Sundays. And for me as a play-caller, everything’s open when he’s able to get out of the pocket, extend plays, play off schedule as well—which I think is a huge part of his game—but right now he’s playing very decisively.”

Lawrence’s confident play has propelled the Jaguars to their second consecutive 3–1 start under Coen, a good base for what the quarterback told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer this summer that he wants to be “the best [year] we can make it.”

2. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

2026 stats: 82-for-128 (64.1%), 1,037 yards, nine touchdowns, two interceptions, 106.2 passer rating, one rushing touchdown

Less than a year removed from a season-ending knee injury, Patrick Mahomes looks like the three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback we’re used to seeing. The 30-year-old has the Chiefs at 4–0 through the first month of the season while pacing an offense that ranks third in yards per game (412.0) and sixth in points per game (29.5).

We’d be remiss not to mention Walker’s impact again—as the running back currently leads the NFL in rushing yards (527) and yards per attempt (6.2). Alongside Mahomes in the Chiefs’ backfield, Walker has played a large part in Kansas City’s offensive success.

“I told you all, literally, like the first press conference. Y’all were asking, ‘What’s the difference with our offense?’ And I said, K9,” Mahomes said of Walker’s impact after Kansas City’s Week 1 win over the Broncos. “It’s the way he’s able to run the ball, catch the ball. … It’s just a special ability to run the ball tough between the tackles, and then when he does bounce it, he has the speed to go all the way.”

All of that said, Mahomes’s ability to conduct Andy Reid & Co.’s offense while limiting mistakes—and still accounting for 10 total touchdowns through four games—puts him firmly in range to capture his third-career NFL MVP award.

1. Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

2026 stats: 79-for-113 (69.9%), 1,007 yards, eleven touchdowns, one interception, 126.2 passer rating, one rushing touchdown

One of the lone 49ers players who has yet to be cursed by the electrical substation, Brock Purdy has not only stayed healthy through the first four games of the 2026 season—but has arguably been the league’s best player.

While helping San Francisco to a perfect 4–0 record, Purdy leads all starting quarterbacks in passer rating (126.2), QBR (89.7) and passing touchdowns (11), while turning the ball over only once. He’s also helped the 49ers’ offense to the second-most points per game (30.5), the seventh-most total yards per game (389.0), and he’s doing so by averaging the second-most yards per attempt behind only Lamar Jackson.

“You see that aggression, and his willingness to throw the ball down there,” 49ers tight end George Kittle said recently of Purdy’s play this season. “I think he used to be called the YAC merchant. … He’s proving [that he can] push the ball down the field and he makes plays—he extends plays with his legs. I think he just has this huge level of confidence and it’s just really fun to see out there. It’s so fun to play with him.”

Once the final selection—aka Mr. Irrelevant—in the 2022 NFL draft, Purdy has amassed a 34–15 record as a starter and has led the 49ers to the playoffs three times, including an appearance in Super Bowl LVIII. If he can maintain this level of play through the rest of the 2026 campaign, he could add an MVP award to his already unlikely résumé.

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