The MVP race is wide open through the first five weeks of the 2025 NFL Season. Let's power rank the top candidates after Week 5. The one thing that has stuck out to me after the NFL thus far is the parity. There are now no more unbeaten teams, and it only took until Week 5 for that to happen.
There is a very large NFL 'middle class' if you will of teams that have a lot to like but might not be quite there yet. The final 12 regular season games are going to be flat-out entertaining. Sure, teams like the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are pretty much out of it at this point, but there are even some one and two-win teams that can make some noise.
Let's take a step back from that though and look at the top MVP candidates following crazy action in Week 5.
Ranking the top MVP candidates following Week 5 action
5. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has a 108.4 passer rating, and that would be the highest of his NFL career if he were to finish the 2025 season on that note. The Buffalo Bills did take a pretty ugly loss on Sunday Night Football to the New England Patriots, but I believe that game said way more about the Patriots than it did the Bills.
At the end of the day, Buffalo is going to stack a ton of wins and likely earn the top seed in the AFC playoffs, and unless something major happens, Allen is again going to be receiving a ton of MVP love.
4. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott is balling.
He is on fire, and it's another example of him playing extremely well following a down season or a notable injury. He's got that 'comeback' mindset as a part of his DNA, and he's also got a ton of intangibles at the position that simply make him better than most of his peers. The Cowboys again have an elite offense, so it's really only the defense that is is holding this team back from being special.