The NFL’s MVP race is still wide open, but Week 9 gave a few quarterbacks a fresh jolt in the conversation.
At this point last season, the picture was much cleaner. Matthew Stafford had already piled up 25 touchdown passes through nine games for the Rams, and Drake Maye was sitting on 17 passing touchdowns plus two more on the ground for the Patriots. Both teams had seven wins, and the list of serious MVP contenders was starting to narrow.
That’s not the case this year. The 2026 race has more names in the mix, with Joe Burrow and Josh Allen among the quarterbacks drawing attention, while Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are also in the discussion. And with several passers turning in big performances in Week 9, a few of them helped strengthen their early cases.
Joe Burrow was already building a strong argument before Cincinnati even kicked off in London against Atlanta. He’d stayed healthy, his chemistry with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase had been obvious, and the Bengals entered the game riding a three-game winning streak. Then Burrow kept it rolling.
Cincinnati won again to move to 6-2, and Burrow threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Higgins. He now has five games this season with at least three touchdown passes, leads the NFL in touchdown passes, and among quarterbacks with at least seven starts, his 111.6 rating trails only Trevor Lawrence. On pace for nearly 50 touchdown passes, Burrow may be the MVP favorite going into Week 10.
Brock Purdy also got back on track after a rougher outing the week before. San Francisco’s 6-0 start had already pushed him into the early MVP mix, especially after he threw 11 touchdown passes in his first four games. But the Falcons handed him a setback on Oct. 25, when he threw two interceptions in a loss.
Against Las Vegas on Sunday, Purdy answered with a clean rebound. He guided the 49ers to a 38-17 win over the Raiders, throwing for 232 yards, two touchdowns and adding a rushing score. He’s now at 17 touchdown passes against five interceptions, and if San Francisco stays near the top of the NFC in the second half, Purdy should stay in the MVP conversation.
Jordan Love’s case looks different, but it’s gaining steam. Early in the year, the interceptions were a problem - he threw three over Green Bay’s first four games, and two of those games ended in losses. Since the Packers’ loss to the Falcons on “Thursday Night Football” on Sept. 24, though, the turnaround has been real.
Green Bay has gone 5-1 since then, and Love has thrown 13 touchdown passes against four interceptions over that stretch. On Sunday against the Patriots, he added three more touchdown passes in a blowout win.
The Packers’ offense topped 40 points, and Love didn’t even need to finish the fourth quarter. It may not be enough to put him at the front of MVP talk, but he’s peaking at the right time, and Green Bay is firmly in the mix for an NFC playoff spot.
C.J. Stroud may not finish with the eye-popping numbers Burrow or Allen could post, and the Texans may not get all the way to 11 wins. Still, he’s putting together a season that looks like his best since his breakout rookie year in 2023.
He entered Week 9 with a 100.7 rating, his highest since 2023, and had thrown just one interception in seven games while tracking toward a career-best 64.8% completion rate. After his performance against the Chargers, he’s also on pace for career highs in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Stroud lit up Los Angeles for 384 yards and five touchdown passes. He did throw his second interception of the season, but it barely mattered in Houston’s 44-22 win. The Texans are 3-5 and still need a strong finish to get into the playoff race, but with Stroud playing like this, that kind of surge doesn’t look out of reach.
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49ers Game Day Changes Could Open The Door Against Raiders
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There is also some roster movement that adds another layer to the afternoon, with the receiving corps getting a boost and depth being adjusted behind it. For a 49ers offense that will be looking to stress a Raiders defense already under the microscope, those changes could shape how the game is attacked early and how much flexibility San Francisco has if the script starts to shift. [Read more 🡒]