Nine weeks through the 2026 NFL season, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen leads a crowded and volatile MVP race that has seen front-runners shift dramatically across the league.
Allen paces the field with a career-high 8.7 yards per attempt and 13.3 yards per completion according to Sporting News. He is currently on pace for 4,354 passing yards with 27 passing touchdowns while leading the league with nine rushing touchdowns the publication reported.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has bounced back from an injury-plagued campaign reported The New York Times, leading the league with 298.3 passing yards per game and 23 passing touchdowns against six interceptions.
ARVELL REESE COMPLETELY TOOK OVER AGAINST THE EAGLES. 12 TKL, 10 SOLO, 3 SACK, 1 FF vs Eagles. Reese is the DROY favorite and making a case for DPOY consideration. https://t.co/zAwPLEFwnv pic.twitter.com/xJGzta0fCF
Allen has recorded nine turnovers that he needs to clean up, but if he keeps his play steady and the Bills keep winning, he could secure the award for the second time in three years.
Patrick Mahomes has put together 1,795 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just four interceptions, returning to the field nine months after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament.
Through the first nine weeks of the 2026 campaign, 77 games have been decided by one score of eight points or fewer noted The New York Times. That total ties the 2016 season for the third-most through Week 9 in NFL history, trailing only the 2024 and 2022 seasons, which each saw 79 such contests according to the same report.
Among those 77 close games, 41 featured a game-winning score in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime, The New York Times added. Winning teams rallied from at least 10 points down in 25 separate matchups, the outlet stated.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has put together a dominant first half. He leads the league with nine receiving touchdowns and is the only receiver with more than 1,000 yards reported ClutchPoints. His 71 receptions trail only tight end Trey McBride according to the same report.
No other player in the league has topped 40 percent of his team’s receiving yards through nine games ESPN noted, placing Smith-Njigba on a historic trajectory not seen since Brandon Marshall racked up 45.7 percent of the Chicago Bears’ receiving yards in 2012 the network observed.
In his first year in New York, Giants coach John Harbaugh has guided his team to the division lead reported CBS Sports.
At age 64, Harbaugh would become the oldest coach to win the award since 70-year-old George Halas took the honor in 1965 Newsday pointed out. The oldest coach to win the award in the Super Bowl era was Dick Vermeil, who was 63 in 1999.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes returned from a torn ACL and LCL, throwing for 1,795 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions while leading Kansas City to a 5-2 start, Newsday added.
Among rookies, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston leads all first-year players with 507 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns CBS Sports noted, while teammate KC Concepcion is tied for the rookie lead with 37 receptions giving Cleveland two strong candidates in the offensive rookie conversation.
