NFL MVP rankings: Old guard, new guard take over top spots

One month remains in the 2020 NFL regular season, and it's the most important one on the calendar when it comes to the MVP race.

Russell Wilson felt like the leader in the clubhouse after the first half of the season, but that's no longer the case. Here are the top candidates through 13 weeks.

5. Josh Allen Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Allen hasn't always been at his best this season, but he's certainly had way more good days than bad ones. After a bit of a lull in the second quadrant of the schedule, the Buffalo Bills quarterback played some of his best football in November to vault back into the MVP mix.

Thanks to his growth as a passer, the Bills have become capable of outlasting anyone in a shootout. And given their deficiencies in the running game and on defense, they often need an air raid to win. Allen is coming off arguably his best game of the season, as he completed 32 of 40 passes against the San Francisco 49ers and tossed four touchdowns on Monday Night Football. Buffalo is flawed, but it looks like a serious Super Bowl threat with a more polished Allen leading the charge.

4. Dalvin Cook Stephen Maturen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Minnesota Vikings were presumed dead after their 1-5 start, but with Cook stirring the drink more than ever before, they're suddenly in playoff position. Kirk Cousins, Adam Thielen, and Justin Jefferson are leading a quality passing attack, and Mike Zimmer's defense has come a long way since Week 1, but this is ultimately still Cook's team.

The running back sits second in the NFL in rushing with 1,250 yards and 13 touchdowns and is averaging five yards per carry. He tops the league in broken tackles, with Derrick Henry the only person remotely near him in that category. If the Vikings wind up reaching the postseason, it will be because Cook dragged them there.

3. Alvin Kamara Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Kamara has been dynamite for the New Orleans Saints, serving as the constant for an offense that has gone stretches without Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, and Emmanuel Sanders. Between his contributions as a runner, receiver, and returner, Kamara is third in the league in all-purpose yards and has totaled 14 touchdowns.

Even when the Saints have fielded a full lineup, Kamara has been their focal point. He's first in the NFL in yards after the catch, and 30th in receiving yards overall, ahead of established wideouts like Mike Evans, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and T.Y. Hilton. Similar to how Thomas drew MVP consideration last year, Kamara warrants recognition in 2020 as one of the most valuable offensive weapons in the sport.

2. Aaron Rodgers Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Despite once again putting up with a group of no-name receivers - outside of Davante Adams, who, granted, is awesome - Rodgers is putting up some of the biggest numbers of his career for the Green Bay Packers. In fact, Rodgers has arguably performed better in 2020 than he did during his MVP seasons in 2011 and 2014:

Year	Yards	Comp. %	TD	INT
2011	4643	68.3	45	6
2014	4381	65.6	38	5
2020	4526*	68.9*	48*	5*

*16-game pace

The man has been shredding defenses all year and is now a prime contender to take home his third MVP award. Of course, Rodgers really only cares about winning the Super Bowl at this stage of his career, but the Packers will have an excellent shot at accomplishing that mission as long as he maintains his pace.

1. Patrick Mahomes Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Let's be real, Mahomes is the quarterback you least want to see in the final minutes of a close game if you're a fan of any team besides the Kansas City Chiefs. He proved it against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 11 with an effortless touchdown drive late, and again during wins in Weeks 12 and 13 when he refused to let the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos touch the ball with any real time left on the clock.

The 25-year-old has a league-high 3,815 passing yards and ranks third in passing touchdowns with 31, while he's committed just two interceptions. Mahomes is the best player on a team tied for the NFL's best record, and unlike the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, he doesn't have an elite defense backing him up. When the ball is in Mahomes' hands, the Chiefs feel borderline invincible.

Honorable mentions:

Derrick Henry: He's the hardest man in the game to tackle, and he's the stabilizing force on a Titans team that is tied for the top spot in the AFC South. Henry is on track for a second consecutive rushing title, and his ability to drain the clock while moving the chains over and over again helps Tennessee's defense in a way that makes him both great and valuable.

Aaron Donald: A defensive player will never win the award, but it's always worth noting Donald's dominance on his side of the ball. He's in the mix for a third Defensive Player of the Year trophy while sitting second in the league with 11 sacks despite seeing frequent double-teams and occasional triple-teams.

Russell Wilson: Wilson was on a terrific pace early in the season, but both he and the Seahawks have slowed down over the last month or so. He's not completely out of the running, but unless he goes crazy down the final stretch, his first career MVP award will have to wait.

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