2. Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams put himself on the NFL MVP radar with the way he played last season, and after watching he and the Bears put up a whopping 59 points in Week 1, he has to be included in the top 2 or 3 of the conversation.
And how cool would it be for Chicago sports fans, who are witnessing a likely MVP season by centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs, to see Williams also become the best player in the NFL?
It's a lofty statement to make after just one game, but Williams has certainly earned his place in the discussion.
In the Bears' Week 1 win over the Panthers, Williams had 269 yards through the air (72.4 percent completion rate) with a pair of passing touchdowns. He also had two rushing touchdowns and 65 yards on the ground.
It feels like Williams' MVP candidacy is absolutely sustainable considering the fact that he and Ben Johnson are so in sync. That Bears' offense looks like a well-oiled machine right now, so if he can keep it up, the former Heisman winner might be taking home some new hardware in the near future.
1. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Entering the 2026 season, Josh Allen was the odds-on favorite to win NFL MVP (again), and he did nothing in Week 1 to lower his stock.
In fact, quite the opposite.
While it's never "surprising" to see Allen play well, it would be a lie if anyone said they weren't at least a little shocked at how well he played against a Houston Texans defense that is supposed to be the stingiest in the NFL.
Allen threw for 334 yards and 2 TDs against Houston's elite defense, which only allowed over 200 passing yards five times all of last season. And in two of those games, they forced a combined 5 takeaways.
Allen's performance against Houston was indicative of just how much this current MVP race belongs to him. It's his award to lose after just one game.
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