π Who are the early front-runners for NFL MVP? β SkimNews
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- Brock Purdy drew six votes in a poll of 16 NFL front office executives, coaches and personnel people asked who would win MVP through the first six weeks, ahead of Josh Allen with four, Kenneth Walker III with three and Bijan Robinson with two, while a wide receiver also reached the top five even as one coach joked the award is basically quarterback-only.
- Purdy leads the NFL with an 83.1 QBR and is tied for the league lead with 14 touchdown passes, completing 69.6% of attempts for 1,460 yards with two interceptions while adding 156 rushing yards and a touchdown; the 6-0 49ers have put a league-high 22 players on injured reserve.
- Purdy's signature stretch included a 99.7 QBR against the Dolphins in Week 2, the best by any quarterback this season, with 18 straight completions and the first passing performance in NFL history of 250-plus yards at 90% or better alongside 30-plus rushing yards, plus a 55-yard deep strike to Mike Evans against the Commanders to close Week 6.
- Purdy's case has limits: he ranks 14th among quarterbacks in yards per game, and although the 49ers sit in the tough NFC West, they have played only one team with a winning record, the 4-2 Broncos, with no other above-.500 opponent until Week 11 against the Vikings, while their defense and receiver room have been decimated.
- Josh Allen has an NFL-high 17 total touchdowns and has powered Buffalo's 5-1 start with 1,504 passing yards, nine scores, four interceptions, 240 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns, including a career-high 121 rushing yards β 91 of them in the fourth quarter and overtime β in the 37-34 win over the Rams and a shovel touchdown to Keon Coleman against the Raiders, though Buffalo's defense has allowed 29-plus points in five of six games.
- Kenneth Walker III leads the NFL with 52 broken tackles and breaks one on 43% of his touches, averaging 6.3 yards per carry with 665 yards and six touchdowns on 106 carries plus 14 catches for 95 yards and two scores; one AFC coach called him the best free-agent pickup in the league, though Kansas City plans to reduce his carries for rookie Emmett Johnson as Patrick Mahomes returns from ACL surgery.
- Bijan Robinson is averaging 5.8 yards per carry with 641 yards and four touchdowns on 111 carries, plus 20 catches for 144 yards and a score, after 194 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers and 145 yards and two against the Saints; he leads the league with 233 yards on 47 carries first contacted behind the line of scrimmage, twice Chuba Hubbard's next-best 111, and projects to 1,816 rushing yards and 2,224 all-purpose yards, though the Falcons are 2-4.
Why it matters: Purdy's six-vote lead rests on efficiency and a schedule that has yet to harden: the 6-0 49ers have faced just one winning opponent, the 4-2 Broncos, and do not play another above-.500 team until Week 11 against the Vikings. Walker's 6.3 yards per carry and Robinson's 5.8 show the non-QB case is more than a footnote.
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