Darnold, Mayfield and Sagapolutele: who will be the NFL’s next first-time MVP?

Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have former an axis of excellence. But which player will break that cycle?

There has been a trend in recent NFL seasons. Around Week 8, the MVP race starts to follow a predictable script: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson (if the Ravens are rolling) will almost certainly feature.

Between 2015 and 2019, the NFL had four first-time MVP winners - Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Mahomes and Jackson. But in the last five years, only Allen has been a first-time winner (Aaron Rodgers, Mahomes and Jackson were the other victors).