The biggest shake-up of the season came in Week 10 with the MVP race flipping on its head. Josh Allen, the reigning MVP, tumbled from the first spot all the way out of the top 5. Running back Jonathan Taylor put up video game numbers that nobody saw coming in Berlin. And Drake Maye has now become the prime candidate for supremacy. But there’s even more…

This isn’t about projections anymore. The narratives have teeth now. The stats matter, and the momentum is real. And with the second half of the season already underway, every throw, every yard, every win carries MVP weight.

Welcome to the Week 11 EssentiallySports MVP Ladder. Here’s our top 5 contenders for the race, and those on the edge making major noise.

5. Patrick Mahomes: ready for a comeback?

The Kansas City Chiefs sat at home during Week 10 with a 5-4 record. Third place in the AFC West. Third place halfway through the season isn’t something that has happened in the Patrick Mahomes era. The bye week came at the perfect time, or maybe the worst time, depending on how you look at it.

Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills? Brutal. Mahomes completed a career-worst 44.1% of his passes. First time in his career with a completion rate under 50%. That’s less than ideal. The Magic may be subdued this season, and yet, it has found pockets to flash throughout the first half of the season.

Betting against late-season Mahomes has historically been a bad idea. Teams come out of bye weeks sharper, hungrier. The three-time Super Bowl champion still has 2,349 passing yards on the season through nine games. A 74.5 QBR also places him second in the league right now. With a big divisional battle against the Denver Broncos in Week 11, Mahomes’ magic could easily light up Empower Field.

4. Sam Darnold: the steady climber

Sam Darnold is giving the Seattle Seahawks a season nobody predicted. They’re 7-2, and he’s a major reason why. Through 10 weeks, Darnold has amassed 2,262 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. His 77.6 QBR is the best in the league right now. Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals? He went 10 of 12 for 178 yards and a score in a 44-22 blowout. But that’s just all about the numbers.

Darnold’s connection with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has become a major talking point. Every time Darnold needs to make a big play, Jaxon is right where Darnold wants him, ready to drive it home.

Beyond that, Seattle’s offense has been doing wonders in first quarters all season. Darnold averages 11.6 yards per attempt in opening frames. His 116.5% completion percentage represents a complete career reinvention. The MVP chants from the crowd aren’t wishful thinking anymore; they’re backed by legitimate production. Second chances have never looked this good.

3. Jonathan Taylor: red-hot running back

Jonathan Taylor put on quite a show in Berlin against the Atlanta Falcons. 244 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime thriller. One of the top four rushing performances in the Indianapolis Colts’ franchise history (with two more already in his name). The 83-yard scamper that brought the Colts to the lead? Pure dominance. He now leads the entire NFL in carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns.

No running back has won MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012. The position bias is real. Quarterbacks get more shine, more opportunities, more highlight-reel moments. But if Taylor can keep up his dominance in the coming weeks, he will be impossible to ignore. Fifteen rushing touchdowns through 10 weeks puts him on a historic pace. He set the Colts’ franchise TD record in Germany. If anyone can break the QB stranglehold, it’s the running back putting up 244-yard performances on international stages.

2. Matthew Stafford: the veteran on the prowl

Matthew Stafford is enjoying a renaissance. Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers was his masterpiece. 280 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions in a 42-26 beatdown. The Los Angeles Rams improved to 7-2 with their fourth straight win. And here’s the kicker: Stafford just made NFL history. First quarterback ever to throw four-plus TDs with zero picks in three consecutive games.

The no-look passes have become his signature. His receivers think he’s playing MVP-level ball, and the stats back them up. Stafford leads the league with 25 passing touchdowns. Throughout this season, he’s just thrown two picks. Over his past six games? Twenty touchdown passes, zero interceptions. Historic. Playoffs? No, the Rams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and their 37-year-old quarterback is the reason why.

1. Drake Maye: new king on the ladder

Drake Maye became the MVP betting favorite during the game. Not after. During. His New England Patriots beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28-23 to extend their win streak to seven. The 23-year-old completed 16 of 31 passes for 270 yards and two scores. Yes, it was his worst completion percentage of the season (51.6%). But it didn’t matter. He hit wideout Kyle Williams for a 72-yard touchdown and found Mack Hollins on a 54-yard strike. Big-time throws when it counted.

Maye has also become the architect of dramatic comebacks, much like what we expect from someone like Patrick Mahomes. And that’s not a throwaway line. Those 8 wins New England has? Maye has carved a comeback in 7 of those outings.

New England sits at 8-2, tied with Indianapolis and Denver for the best record in football this season. Drake Maye has thrown at least two touchdowns eight times this season. The total numbers? 2,555 passing yards (3rd best in the league), 19 touchdowns, and just five picks. The entire Patriots roster seems to be in sync with Maye now. His MVP conversation isn’t premature anymore. The challenge? Keep up this momentum all the way to the end.

Stars on the edge of the MVP race

Josh Allen had a nightmare in Miami. The Bills lost 30-13, and Allen threw an interception plus fumbled in a game where he desperately needed to dominate. He finished 28 of 40 for 306 and two touchdowns, but the turnovers killed Buffalo’s momentum. Two turnovers in one game are rare for Allen against Miami. It’s only happened four times in 17 career meetings. He’s 2-2 in those games. Needless to say, he tumbled all the way from the favorite to the cusp of our list. But it’s Josh Allen. One good performance could shoot him back up. The margin for error, though? Gone.

Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and Justin Herbert round out the conversation. Jackson went 17 for 29 for 176 yards and a touchdown in the Baltimore Ravens’ 27-19 win over Minnesota. Not as splashy as his return from injury in Week 9, but still very much in the race.

Goff, with head coach Dan Campbell calling the plays, torched the Commanders with a three-touchdown game in the Detroit Lions’ 44-22 victory. The offensive rhythm is back, and if the top 5 don’t watch out, Goff could easily knock them off their rankings.

Justin Herbert simply outperformed the Steelers despite constant pressure. He went 20 of 33 for 220 yards and a score. The Los Angeles Chargers are now 7-3 heading to Week 11. If he keeps bringing more wins moving forward, and if the O-line can protect him better (he took 5 sacks), he’ll continue to be in this conversation.

So, Patrick Mahomes is well rested, ready to tackle the leaderboard and bring back the magic. Sam Darnold’s deep dimes are only getting more precise as the season goes on. And then there’s Jonathan Taylor, already making history for his franchise. But the biggest battle for the MVP title is now between Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye. The matchups are getting more intense; the stakes are rising every week.

Even outside the top 5, teams are winning. The stats are solid. Big names keep hovering just outside the spotlight, waiting for their moment. Week 11 will reshape the board again. The only guarantee? More chaos ahead, with a lot of excitement.