Take a breath, football fans. We’re already five weeks into the NFL season, and the MVP race is starting to heat up. It’s been a wild start, but now it’s time to point out who’s truly making a difference so far. Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, and even Jared Goff are all leading the charge.
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Right now, though, the MVP frontrunners feel like Prescott and Baker. The Dallas Cowboys QB has thrown for 1,356 yards with 10 TDs and just 3 INTs. Meanwhile, Mayfield has 1,283 passing yards, 10 TDs, and only 1 INT. Not to mention, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-1, while the Cowboys sit at 2-2-1.
Of course, defending MVP Josh Allen has also been impressive to start the season. But a few underwhelming performances over the past two weeks have opened the door for both Prescott and Mayfield. Even former MVP and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees had to commend Dak for his recent play.
“To me, it’s not just the numbers, but it’s the poise and composure in which he’s done it. That comeback to beat the Giants, you know, in years past, that would’ve been a moment where the Cowboys fell apart; they never would’ve found a way to win that game,” Brees said on First Take.
Prescott and the Cowboys should’ve lost their Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants. They allowed a 48-yard TD pass with just 25 seconds left in the game, falling down to 37-34. But Dak found Jake Ferguson for an 18-yard gain to set up a miraculous Blake Aubrey 64-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired.
.@DrewBrees has only Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield ahead of Dak Prescott in the MVP conversation pic.twitter.com/HfTzz8ssxd
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 7, 2025
Aubrey would play the hero later on in the contest, too. Kicking the game-winning 46-yarder as time expired. It was a game that Brees won’t soon forget, and he had to give Prescott his flowers.
“Giants score late, and they methodically go down and kick the field goal, take it to overtime, and go win that game. The way he played throughout the entirety of that Sunday night game against the Packers was really, really impressive. The way he played last week against the Jets. So, he continues to get better,” Brees expressed.
All in all, it was a show of respect by one of the best QBs to ever play the game. And Prescott deserved the praise. After all, nobody expected him to be playing this well to start the season. In fact, many fans thought the Cowboys would be a trainwreck after trading Micah Parsons days before the season started. But now, the Dak attack has the team at least excited about the offensive potential.
However, Brees later revealed that he doesn’t think Prescott should be the frontrunner for MVP.
“But I’ll be honest with you, I think Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield, I would put ahead of him in the MVP race right now.”
The former Super Bowl MVP added that he tunes in every week to see how Mayfield has sparked comebacks to help the Bucs win. He also mentioned that the Detroit Lions have been somewhat taken for granted, noting that the number of points they’ve scored to start the year has been unreal.
At the end of the day, though, the MVP still feels like Allen’s to lose. The Bills had a slight slip-up on Sunday night, but otherwise, the team has looked nearly unstoppable. The New England Patriots had to play a perfect game to beat them, showing just how difficult it is to stop Allen right now.
And while it’s fun to have these early-season MVP discussions, they rarely hold up as the year goes on. Prescott’s name could start to fade as the Cowboys’ schedule gets tougher, while Mayfield and Goff (and even Allen) have strong teams that could keep them in the conversation if they keep exceeding expectations. It’ll be interesting to see how it all unfolds.
