NFL MVP race tracker: Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Bijan Robinson climb after Week 6 brilliance

Week 6 belonged to the NFL elite. Whether you caught the action live in the stands or streamed every snap on DAZN with Game Pass, it was impossible to miss the game-changing performances from Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, and Bijan Robinson.

Their form won't have gone unnoticed by the Associated Press - the voters who will award the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year (OPOY and DPOY), plus the best rookie, comeback player, and coaching awards next February.

A third of the way through the 2025 regular season, here’s my take on how the race for the NFL's biggest individual prizes is shaping up.

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Most Valuable Player (MVP)

1. Baker Mayfield, QB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Patrick Mahomes, QB - Kansas City Chiefs
3. Matthew Stafford, QB - Los Angeles Rams
4. Josh Allen, QB - Buffalo Bills
5. Jared Goff, QB - Detroit Lions

Mayfield and Mahomes climb after their incredible performances in Week 6.

Josh Allen falls after struggling on Monday Night Football. Drake Maye's excellent start thrusts him into contention behind the chasing pack .

Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY)

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB - Indianapolis Colts
2. Bijan Robinson, RB - Atlanta Falcons
3. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR - Seattle Seahawks
4. Puka Nacua, WR - Los Angeles Rams
5. James Cook, RB - Buffalo Bills

Each week, almost every one of these players has produced heroics. On Sunday, Taylor and JSN strengthened their claim to the award, and Robinson dominated on Monday Night Football.

The gap between Cook and the chasing pack is close. Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown are nipping at his heels.

Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)

1. Nik Bonitto, EDGE - Denver Broncos
2. Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE - Detroit Lions
3. Brian Burns, EDGE - New York Giants
4. Myles Garrett, EDGE - Cleveland Browns
5. T.J. Watt, EDGE - Pittsburgh Steelers

Bonitto doesn't have the name recognition of the other players on this list, but his dominant performances are changing that narrative. He's been a major driving force behind the Broncos' three-game winning streak .

A case could be made for the Los Angeles Rams' Byron Young here.

Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY)

1. Emeka Egbuka, WR - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Jaxson Dart, QB - New York Giants
3. Tyler Warren, TE - Indianapolis Colts
4. Ashton Jeanty, RB - Las Vegas Raiders
5. Tetairoa McMillan, WR - Carolina Panthers

Egbuka has been hands-down the most impressive rookie so far, but if Dart continues to play well - and as a QB - he will have the advantage in this race.

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Cleveland Browns running back Quinshon Judkins and Giants' tailback Cam Skattebo are fast risers and could easily vault into the top five in the near future.

Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY)

1. Carson Schwesinger, LB - Cleveland Browns
2. Jihaad Campbell, LB - Philadelphia Eagles
3. Abdul Carter, EDGE - New York Giants
4. Will Johnson, CB - Houston Texans
5. Andrew Mukuba, DB - Philadelphia Eagles

Schwesinger and Campbell have been excellent so far. Carter, along with all of the edge rushers in this rookie class, hasn't really gotten going yet. With that said, I expect Carter to gather momentum soon.

Coach of the Year

1. Shane Steichen - Indianapolis Colts
2. Mike Vrabel - New England Patriots
3. Ben Johnson - Chicago Bears
4. Liam Coen - Jacksonville Jaguars
5. Kyle Shanahan - San Francisco 49ers

All of these coaches have defied the odds and achieved more than any of us expected. It's a tight race in which Steichen, Vrabel, and Johnson are arguably interchangeable.

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For now, and for what he's managed to get out of Daniel Jones, Steichen edges it, but Vrabel and Johnson continue to make this race close.

Comeback Player of the Year

1. Dak Prescott, QB - Dallas Cowboys
2. Christian McCaffrey, RB - San Francisco 49ers
3. Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE - Detroit Lions
4. Daniel Jones, QB - New York Giants
5. Trevor Lawrence, QB - Jacksonville Jaguars

This was a tough choice, not so much in selecting the players to include, but instead in determining their ranking. The Cowboys lost this weekend, but Prescott still played well.

Final thoughts

This is an early leaderboard, nothing more. The NFL has a habit of flipping the script when you least expect it, and there is a long way to go in the season yet.

Expect plenty of risers, fallers, and fresh names in the spotlight long before the votes are cast.