Four weeks of the 2026 NFL Season are now in the books, and as we move further into October and November, the league hierarchy is going to begin to come into view. While some teams like Tampa Bay and Tennessee, for example, are bad right now and going to stay that way, some of the 1 and 2-win teams are still figuring out their identity.
And I am not even sure it's certain that all of the 3-1 and 4-0 teams are going to remain atop the league. This is all to say that a lot can change between now and when the playoff chases really begin to heat up in December.
As we have done each week so far, we have our latest MVP stepladder power rankings, and these rankings continue to be solely based on how valuable each player is to their team this year, and this year only.
Ranking the leading MVP candidates following Week 4 action
10. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Through four games, the Dallas Cowboys feel very similar to how they were as a team in 2025. While the offense has been outstanding, the defense is once again playing poorly. Yes, the secondary is banged up, but whether that ends up being the case or not as the season goes on, the Cowboys simply have to avoid wasting another prime year from Dak Prescott, who is again turning out to be one of the more efficient, prolific passers in the league.
If an average quarterback was on the Cowboys, they'd likely be 0-4, or 1-3 at best.
While Prescott gets a lot of hate simply for being the Cowboys starting QB, he's the one thing that has kept this team relevant for much of his career. If he keeps playing like this, he'll get some MVP votes and could get very close to actually winning the award this year.
9. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff continues to be an awesome QB. He's thrown zero interceptions through four games and has nine touchdown passes. Goff is consistently among the most efficient players at the position, but because he doesn't have that headlining playmaking ability, he doesn't necessarily land in the conversations with the top QBs in the league.
With how horrid the Detroit Lions defense is, Goff playing the way he has this year is the only thing keeping this team afloat right now. Like the situation with Prescott, Goff could get some MVP love if the defense somehow improves and the team can find a way to stack some wins. The Lions would likely have to win the NFC North for Goff to win the MVP, but he's likely going to have MVP-caliber numbers, and he honestly has for much of his tenure with the Lions.
Add us as a preferred source on Google