8. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Let's not knock any teeth out with overreactions from Patrick Mahomes's performance in Week 1. Watching the game, Mahomes actually didn't play like an MVP in a number of different ways. His downfield throwing wasn't there, and he was able to play pretty relaxed thanks to the performance of Kenneth Walker in his Chiefs debut.
But let's not deny reality either. Those who vote on the NFL MVP award would probably love nothing more than to see Mahomes back in the race. He completed 15-of-27 passes (55.6 percent) of his throws against the Broncos for just 184 yards, but he had 2 passing TDs and -- shockingly -- a rushing TD.
Although the Chiefs' gameplan was obviously to get the ball out of Mahomes's hands quickly (and a large percentage of his passing yards came on one catch-and-run by Travis Kelce), we still saw his playmaking ability return.
His MVP candidacy is going to be fascinating to monitor as the season goes along and opposing defenses make adjustments (and don't miss nearly 30 percent of their tackles).
7. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Out of all the players on this list, Matthew Stafford may feel the most out of place. In what way did he begin the defense of his MVP crown in Week 1 against the 49ers?
The honest answer to that is: He really didn't.
But that doesn't mean that Stafford is going to be written out of the NFL MVP race completely. Keep in mind, he won the award last year, so it feels fair to drop him down at least a handful of spots like this.
Against the 49ers, Stafford completed just 60 percent of his passes (15-of-25) for just 155 yards and no touchdowns. He also had an interception, so the trip to Australia was unfortunately a forgettable one for him. Still, we're expecting him to bounce back, aren't we?
Even though Stafford has typically followed up his great seasons with duds in the past, we're going to remain "in" on him until he plays his way out.
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