10 NFL MVP candidates: No Patrick Mahomes, but three AFC North players make the cut

4. Ravens running back Derrick Henry

Henry gives the Ravens two of the top four MVP contenders, and for good reason. He is a perfect fit in Baltimore (5-3), leading the league with 946 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns.

The former Titans star is averaging 118.3 rushing yards per game, putting him on pace for 2,011.1 yards, which would be his second 2,000-yard season (2020). No running back in NFL history has accomplished that feat.

5. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels

The rookie quarterback made the signature play of the 2024 season with his incredible Hail Mary to wide receiver Noah Brown for an 18-15 Week 8 win over the Bears.

Daniels has breathed life into the moribund franchise, leading it to a 6-2 record and first in the NFC East.

He's on pace to set the rookie completion percentage record. Entering Week 9, Daniels is completing 71.8 percent of his passes (148-of-206). Per Stathead, among rookie quarterback with at least 300 pass attempts, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (67.8 percent) holds the record for highest completion percent.

Daniels, the 2023 Heisman winner, has thrown for 1,736 yards and rushed for 424 yards with 21 total touchdowns and two interceptions.

6. Lions quarterback Jared Goff

Goff is a model of consistency. Over his past five games, he's completing a ridiculous 83 percent of his pass attempts, and his 74.1 percent completion percentage leads the league. 

In Week 4 in a win over Seattle, Goff completed all 18 of his passes for 292 yards and two TDs. He's the triggerman for the league's top scoring offense (33.4 PPG) and a top reason Detroit is 6-1.

7. Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt

The Steelers (6-2), led by a stout defense (14.9 PPG), are one of the league's greatest surprises. Watt, in his eighth season, is as dominant a force as ever and the best player on that side of the ball. 

Watt has 6.5 sacks and an NFL-high four fumbles forced, including a massive one in the fourth quarter against Giants quarterback Daniel Jones in Monday's 26-18 win by the Steelers.

8. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley

Barkley, the most vital offensive weapon for the Eagles (5-2), is on pace for a career-best season. He's averaging 109.4 rushing yards per game (his previous high was 82 yards per game in 2022) as Philadelphia, winners of its past three, is beginning to play like an NFC contender.

"It baffles the heck out of me how you let [No.] 26 out of the building," former Eagles star Brian Dawkins said of the New York Giants, Barkley's former team.

Barkley has 766 yards rushing, behind only Henry in the NFL.

9. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray

Arizona (4-4) is flying under the radar despite sitting atop the NFC West standings. Murray, fully healthy after coming back from a 2022 ACL tear in 2023, is the catalyst to the Cardinals' unexpected climb toward division contention. 

He's as close to his 2021 form — when he was the midseason MVP favorite — if he hasn't surpassed it already. Murray is 156-of-232 (67.2 percent) for 1,638 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions and is tied for the league lead with three fourth-quarter comebacks.

10. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud

He's averaging 36.2 passing yards less than he did per game as a rookie (237.7 to 273.9), but Stroud has been just as valuable.

Despite a 20-13 loss to the Jets on "Thursday Night Football," the Texans (6-3) are still in first in the AFC South, with Stroud completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,139 yards (7.2 yards per attempt), 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. 

For the record, Mahomes' Chiefs are 7-0, but the two-time MVP's stats — eight TD passes, nine interceptions, 1,651 passing yards — don't jump off a page. But knowing Mahomes, that could change by the end of the season.