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.
3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Leading the league in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and yards per game, Jonathan Taylor is on pace to have one of the best seasons of his NFL career, and the 4-1 Indianapolis Colts are simply better than most teams in the NFL. Taylor did struggle with injuries the past few seasons, but he seems to be in a great spot health-wise, and having an efficient QB to help stabilize the run game has also helped greatly.
Jonathan Taylor is among the best running backs in the NFL and is honestly one of the best pure runners at the position that the league has had in quite some time. He has kind of wasted away at times in Indianapolis, but I guess all it took for this team to get going was... Daniel Jones.
2. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield has been an elite QB with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they had one of the best wins by any team on the season thus far when they took down the Seattle Seahawks in a high-scoring affair in the late Sunday window in Week 5. Mayfield maybe doesn't carry the name-weight that guys like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, and others do, but he's been just as productive and even more productive than the top QB names in the league since arriving in Tampa.
The Buccaneers' defense has definitely allowed some points this year, so Mayfield has had to really hold the fort down under center, and he's done just that so far. Tampa is now 4-1 on the season and are a well-oiled machine.
Baker Mayfield is no. 2 in our MVP power rankings.
1. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
Jared Goff is getting better??
Yes, he's getting better. Through the first five weeks of the 2025 NFL Season, Goff has completed a league-leading 75.2% of his passes. He's also thrown for 12 touchdown passes, which is the most in the NFL as well.
With just two interceptions on the season, Jared Goff is taking care of the football while also doing a ton of damage through the air. He's been flat-out amazing this year and has a success rate of 55.6%, which would be the highest mark of his career.
There isn't much to dislike about Jared Goff. He's an elite quarterback and is the favorite to win the MVP this year through the first