{"id":250889,"date":"2025-10-14T14:00:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T18:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=250889"},"modified":"2025-10-14T11:31:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T15:31:11","slug":"top-5-nfl-mvp-candidates-after-week-6-mayfield-leads-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/10\/14\/top-5-nfl-mvp-candidates-after-week-6-mayfield-leads-race\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 NFL MVP Candidates After Week 6: Mayfield Leads Race"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL MVP Race Week 6<\/strong> has taken a fascinating turn<\/a>, with several star quarterbacks separating themselves from the pack as the season nears its midpoint. With one-third of the schedule now complete, the battle for the league\u2019s most prestigious individual award is heating up. From Baker Mayfield\u2019s resurgence to Patrick Mahomes\u2019 familiar dominance, here\u2019s a look at the top five MVP candidates six weeks into the season.<\/p>\n

\"Baker
Oct 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) stands on the field during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Baker Mayfield \u2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the modern fairytales in the NFL, Baker Mayfield has gone from being passed off from franchise to franchise to leading the MVP race as the season reaches its midpoint. The numbers are all there\u201412 total touchdowns, just one interception, and nearly 1,700 yards of offense<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But the real story lies in how<\/em> he\u2019s done it: four fourth-quarter game-winning drives<\/a> and a level of composure that has transformed the Buccaneers into legitimate contenders despite injuries all around him. Baker Mayfield, your MVP six weeks into the season.<\/p>\n

2. Patrick Mahomes \u2013 Kansas City Chiefs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Who would have thought? Just three weeks ago, Patrick Mahomes had a passer rating in the 80s with only three passing touchdowns. Since then, he\u2019s caught fire\u2014posting 10 total touchdowns and just one turnover over his last three games.<\/p>\n

Now boasting 15 total touchdowns<\/strong> and 1,736 total yards<\/strong>, Mahomes once again leads the league in both categories. He may not be the MVP yet, but his steady climb back to elite form proves one thing: you can never count him out.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"
Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates toward fans against the Baltimore Ravens prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Josh Allen \u2013 Buffalo Bills<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The reigning MVP<\/a> is now at a stage in his career where the regular season still matters, but the true test is in January. That hasn\u2019t stopped Josh Allen from producing elite numbers again\u2014over 1,500 total yards and 14 touchdowns<\/strong> through six weeks.<\/p>\n

Back-to-back losses to the Patriots and Falcons, where he committed multiple turnovers, have cooled his case slightly. Still, with the Bills in contention for the AFC\u2019s top seed, Allen remains firmly in the hunt for his second straight MVP.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) slides after running for a gain during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Matthew Stafford \u2013 Los Angeles Rams<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After a noisy offseason filled with contract talks<\/a> and health concerns, few expected Matthew Stafford to look this sharp. At 37 years old, he\u2019s delivering vintage form\u201412 passing touchdowns<\/strong> and nearly 1,700 yards<\/strong>, leading all quarterbacks in passing yards this season.<\/p>\n

Stafford\u2019s resurgence has powered the Rams to a 4-2 start, proving once again that when he\u2019s healthy and confident, there are few better pure passers in football.<\/p>\n

\"Dynasty
Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) calls a play at the one of scrimmage against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Dak Prescott \u2013 Dallas Cowboys<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When Micah Parsons departed the Cowboys amid another Jerry Jones soap opera, most wrote off Dallas. Their defense has been one of the league\u2019s worst, but Dak Prescott has refused to let the team crumble.<\/p>\n

Through six games, Prescott has produced 14 total touchdowns<\/strong>, over 1,600 yards<\/strong>, and holds a 104.6 passer rating<\/strong>. The Cowboys\u2019 2\u20133\u20131 record keeps him from climbing higher, but his individual brilliance is undeniable. Like Joe Burrow last year, Dak is carrying his team as far as he possibly can.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Cowboys-Jets
Sep 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) looks to set the play during the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As Week 6 wraps up, Baker Mayfield\u2019s redemption arc currently leads the NFL MVP race, while Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott remain close behind. With plenty of football still to be played, the MVP battle is intensifying \u2014 and this year\u2019s race could go right down to the wire.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: [Jonathan Dyer] – Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Baker Mayfield headlines the NFL MVP race after Week 6, with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott close behind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5658,"featured_media":250929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[33588,3418,302,2599,404,8801,1576],"class_list":["post-250889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","tag-2025-nfl-season","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-dak-prescott","tag-josh-allen","tag-matthew-stafford","tag-nfl-mvp","tag-patrick-mahomes"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250889"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":250931,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250889\/revisions\/250931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}