The Rich Top 5: The Most Deserving NFL MVP Candidates Through 5 Weeks of Play

Five weeks into the NFL season, Rich had options for how to open the show. There was the NBA's big to-do, with Pablo Torre apparently looking into LeBron's helicopter arrangement. There was the Cowboys defense, with DeMarvion Overshown oversharing that Dallas held a players-only meeting on defense while Mike Pettine joins the staff.

Rich passed on all of it. He had a top five list to deliver: his MVPs through the first five weeks.

Number five is Derrick Henry, the man Rich calls the MVP of the 4-1, AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens. Tackling him coming out of the backfield isn't a business decision, Rich said. "It's really a life decision." Lamar Jackson has MVP credentials and missed a game, with Snoop coming in to do what a backup is supposed to do. But through five weeks, Henry is the Ravens' MVP. Rich even thinks the loss to the Saints may end up looking like last year's Patriots home opener loss to the Raiders, a game everyone wonders about at season's end.

Number four, on what one voice in the room said should really be called MVQ, is the quarterback of the 4-0 Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes. The mention of Mahomes having Comeback Player of the Year already wrapped is where the segment went sideways.

"Coming back from what?" came the immediate objection. "He played in week 15." Chris made the case that you have to go away to come back, and that Mahomes played 80 to 85 percent of last season. The other side argued Mahomes rehabbed relentlessly after having his knee done. Chris, who noted he's the one in the room who put Mahomes on Mount Rushmore after only one Super Bowl win, held firm, and another voice sided with him: you need an injury that makes people go, "Oh, it's over." The compromise was simple. Mahomes as an MVP candidate, fine. Comeback Player, not so fast.

Number three is Brock Purdy, the quarterback of the 5-0 49ers, whom Rich called the best team in football. Purdy was also Rich's offensive player of the month for September.

Number two is the player Rich believes has changed everything in Kansas City: Kenneth Walker III. "This guy is the MVP of the Chiefs through the first five weeks of the season," he said. Rich called Mahomes playing this well coming off the knee injury remarkable, but argued it's Walker who has put the Chiefs on a totally different plane. Without him, Rich doesn't think anyone would be talking about an undefeated Chiefs team that looks super again.

Number one is the player Rich picked as league MVP before the season started: Josh Allen. Rich pointed to Dan Orlovsky's breakdown of the overtime run that set up the game-winning field goal, where Allen pirouettes from under center, keeps the ball instead of handing it to James Cook, and takes off to his left. Orlovsky doesn't think it was designed. To Rich it was a total "I'm taking the football" moment.

"Josh Allen is the MVP of this league through five weeks, as I thought he would be through 18 weeks," Rich said.

Rich added one more, giving San Francisco two names just as Kansas City got two: Mike Evans. Receivers don't win MVP, Rich acknowledged, but Evans got carted off one week and just keeps on ticking, carrying the 49ers' offense as they pull back on using Christian McCaffrey to keep him fresh. One member of the crew noted Evans is also carrying their fantasy team.

The more telling part of the list is who isn't on it. Rich didn't want to name anyone from a three-and-two or two-and-three team, but he also couldn't come up with a single Viking despite Minnesota sitting at 5-0. If he had to name an offensive player, it would be Aaron Jones. Kyler Murray is 125 to 1 in the MVP odds, while Dallas Turner is fourth in Defensive Player of the Year odds.

Minnesota's real candidate might be the defensive coordinator, and you can't name one an MVP. Rich said he'd vote for Brian Flores for Assistant Coach of the Year right now. To Rich, a 5-0 team with no obvious MVP candidate says a lot about how great a collective it is, and the question is who grabs the opportunity over the final 12 games to go point for point with the Lions, the Bears when Caleb comes back, the Seahawks, the Niners, and the Rams.

The one name the room thought could have made the list was Trevor Lawrence, fourth in the odds with the Jaguars at 4-1. Rich thought hard about it. But Mahomes is "playing out of his skull," he said, and hasn't lost yet. Lawrence, Rich added, should have lost in London.