Two months of the NFL season are in the books, and the MVP race is starting to take shape as we get closer to Thanksgiving. Lamar Jackson has surged as the top candidate, while rookies like Jayden Daniels have maintained their place in the race.
2024 NFL MVP Rankings
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
The reigning 2023 MVP couldn’t have gotten off to a better individual start to his season. Jackson is already a two-time MVP winner, and it seems crazy to say, but this season might be his best season yet.
Jackson currently ranks first in Passer rating, quarterback rush yards, and passing yards per attempt. He is tied for second in pass touchdowns and ranks second in passing yards. The Baltimore signal-caller is only 27 years of age, and a third MVP will all but surely solidify him as not only one of the great quarterbacks in league history but one of the best NFL players ever.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
The fact that a rookie quarterback is squarely in NFL MVP conversations is a crazy feat, and Daniels has proven he should be in the talks. The Commanders are 7-2 and have gotten off to their best start since 1996, four years before Daniels was born.
Washington has sole possession of the NFC East division and has done it all entirely behind Daniels’s dynamic play. Daniels is third in the league in completion percentage, ranks fourth in the league with yards per pass thrown, and is fifth in quarterback rating.
With 1,945 yards passing 12, total touchdowns, and two interceptions, if Daniels keeps this pace up, it will be hard not to give him votes for the league MVP.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are currently the number one seed in the NFC and have the second-best record in the NFL. Since week three of the NFL season, Goff has completed 82.8 percent of his passes, with 13 touchdowns in one pick. One crazy stat of note of how good Goff and the Lions had been in October was that the team scored more touchdowns than the quarterback had incompletions.
Goff is playing at a high level, and with the Lions on pace to hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Goff will continue to be in MVP conversation as he is playing with historic efficiency.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Allen has the Buffalo Bills rolling. They are 7-2 and have a four-game lead in the AFC East division. Allen is fourth in quarterback rating and has 20 total touchdowns and only two interceptions.
He is currently listed as the second favorite in most sports books for MVP.
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
After leaving a division rival, the New York Giants, for the Eagles back in March, Barkley has made his former team regret letting him go. Barkley has been the Eagle’s best player through the season’s first two months. He is second in the league in rushing with 925 yards and has eight touchdowns.
The Eagles are 6-2, and a big reason for that is what Barkley has been doing for the team. It will be hard for a running back to win MVP since it’s mostly a quarterback award, but Barkley has as good of a shot as anyone to win it other than a quarterback.
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Statistically, Henry has been one of the best offensive players in the NFL, regardless of position. Through nine games, Henry has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. He is first in rushing touchdowns with 11 and has the longest rush of the season so far with an 87-yard run.
Barkley is ranked slightly ahead in these MVP rankings because Henry is playing with another MVP candidate, and Barkley is not at this time. However, if Henry remains healthy and keeps this production going, he will undoubtedly win Offensive Player of the Year.
Main Image: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images
