We’re a quarter of the way through the NFL season — well, almost — which means it’s time for some award check-ins. The first four weeks of the season have given us some reminders, some surprises, and most importantly, some great football games and some hectic Sundays.
The Chiefs are back to their winning ways after adding Kenneth Walker III and getting Patrick Mahomes back from injury. The Seahawks look as formidable as ever, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba is still the driver of the offense in the Pacific Northwest.
CeeDee Lamb is off to a career-best start after torching the Texans, Klint Kubiak’s Raiders are 3-1, the 49ers look like an unstoppable machine, and the Chargers and Texans are stuck in purgatory at 0-4.
Who has been the best of the best so far this season? Let’s get into the current MVP, Coach of the Year, and other awards at the quarter mark.
NFL MVP: Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Next up: 49ers QB Brock Purdy, Bills QB Josh Allen
I get it, the MVP is usually a quarterback award. And if you asked me to put money on it, I would bet a good amount that it will remain a quarterback award this season as well. After all, the top 10 in MVP betting odds on FanDuel are all quarterbacks, until you get to both Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs tied for 11th at +6000.
But through four weeks, Walker is the clear MVP of the league. Last season, with Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco at running back, the Chiefs had no explosiveness on the ground, and the offense felt like it played the entire season with a cap on it as a result.
Walker has completely changed all of that. His otherworldly stats are enough to garner consideration for the MVP. He leads the league with 537 rushing yards in just four games, and his +10.9 total rushing EPA is also easily the best mark in the league among running backs. His 14 rushes of 10 or more yards is second in the NFL, just behind James Cook. His rushing yards over expected per carry, +2.5, is the best mark in the NFL by a full yard. He has forced 39 missed tackles according to PFF, which is 14 more than Gibbs in second place.
But Walker’s MVP case is about more than just the numbers on the paper. He makes this Chiefs offense feel so much different, just by inserting him into the lineup this offseason. He gives a Kansas City team that lacks an elite pass-catcher or an elite offensive line, especially in pass protection, an easy button to go to on early downs. The Chiefs are able to stay ahead of the sticks with Walker, while he also provides the home run threat they have not had in the past.
Patrick Mahomes is still the biggest star in Kansas City, and that probably isn’t going to change. He might finish closer to the top of the MVP standings as a result in a few months. But right now, Walker is the difference between a lifeless Chiefs offense in 2025 and an elite one in 2026.
Offensive Player of the Year: Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Next up: Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb, Falcons RB Bijan Robinson
Walker is the easy choice for OPOY at the moment, but given that he is the MVP on this ballot, let’s have some fun and go in a different direction. Lamb had a monster 17-catch day against the Texans on Sunday and Robinson has been the engine behind the Falcons’ early turnaround this year, but neither have the singular impact that Smith-Njigba does on this Seahawks offense.
Simply put, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year is the entire Seahawks offense. Not only is he third in the NFL in receiving yards (481), fourth in catches (32), and first in touchdowns (six), but he does it while being the only star in this offense now that Walker is gone.
Smith-Njigba is second in the NFL in yards per route run and receiving first downs, according to PFF. He is still the most productive receiver in football, and he does it without any help from just about anybody else with the full attention of defenses on him on every snap.
Defensive Player of the Year: Texans EDGE Will Anderson Jr.
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Next up: Bills EDGE Greg Rousseau, Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner
Anderson was one of the preseason favorites for this award, and he has backed it up despite the Texans’ 0-4 start. Through four weeks, Anderson is currently third in the league in pressures (26), tied for third in sacks (4.5), and fourth in quick pressures (10).
The Texans are shockingly winless, and the supposedly elite Houston defense got carved up by two great quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Dak Prescott. If DeMeco Ryans and company can’t get them back into playoff contention, Anderson might be a tough sell to win this award. But he is arguably the best defensive player in football, and it’s hard to see a scenario where Houston is just average on that side of the ball all year.
Rousseau and Turner have both been huge surprises and are worthy honorable mentions here. Turner, who has 5.5 sacks and a league-leading 29 pressures for a Vikings defense that has been the NFL’s best so far, is one to keep an eye on.
Coach of the Year: Raiders HC Klint Kubiak
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Next up: Kyle Shanahan (49ers), Todd Monken (Browns)
2026 was supposed to be a transition year for the Raiders in Kubiak’s first year. No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza was expected to take over for Kirk Cousins at some point during the season, and Vegas was supposed to be working through issues on defense while hopefully finishing around the middle of the pack on the offensive side of the ball.
So far, Kubiak has blown all of those expectations out of the water. The Raiders are 3-1 and right in the early AFC playoff picture, and they hd a chance to beat the Chiefs at the very end of a competitive game on Sunday. Kubiak did all of that despite preseason injuries to both Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers. On top of that, Las Vegas currently ranks 11th in EPA per play on offense and sixth in EPA per play allowed on defense.
Honorable mentions here go to Monken, who has the Browns as another surprise 3-1 team after three wins in a row, and Kyle Shanahan, who is leading yet another nuclear 49ers offense to a 4-0 start despite another barrage of injuries on both sides of the ball.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Browns WR Denzel Boston
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Next up: Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love, Titans WR Carnell Tate
This is already a two-horse race between Boston and Love, while Tate will likely stay third in the race by virtue of being the leading target-getter in a terrible Titans offense. Love is getting more and more volume as the season goes on in Arizona, and he is still the betting favorite to win this award as a result. But for now, what Boston is doing gives him a comfortable lead.
Boston is the clear WR1 on a Browns offense that has been shockingly competent this year after a brutal Week 1. He has 13 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns in four games and has quickly emerged as Deshaun Watson’s top target. He provides both a downfield threat and a big body as an X receiver that gives Watson a security blanket. Of those 13 catches, 10 have gone for first downs.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Raiders CB Hezekiah Masses
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Next up: Dolphins ILB Jacob Rodriguez, Giants ILB Arvell Reese
Rodriguez is second in the NFL in tackles and first in the league in stops, but he plays for the worst team in the league where the defense has been pretty bad. Maybe the counting stats will be too overwhelming to turn down here, but for now, it’s impossible to look past what Masses has meant to one of the surprise teams in football.
The Raiders came into the season with no expectations in part due to an unproven secondary that needed some serious work from a season ago. On paper, that work had not been done, and many expected the Vegas secondary to be bad again. But Masses has emerged as a day one starter for Klint Kubiak and company and has been producing at an incredible rate. He is currently tied for the NFL lead in interceptions (three) and is in the top five in PBUs (six). He has also only given up 10 receptions on 21 targets, per PFF.
As a result, the Raiders rank sixth in the NFL in both EPA per play and EPA per pass allowed. The fifth-round rookie is the star of one of the stunning turnarounds in the league so far this season.
Comeback Player of the Year: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
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Next up: Rams DT Aaron Donald, Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr.
This is an easy one, and it would take something pretty unthinkable happening for Mahomes to not win this award. He is coming off of a torn ACL and already looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the league again. On top of that, he has already gotten the Chiefs out to a 4-0 start and has Kansas City looking like an AFC contender once again.
Now, Mahomes will be working without Tyquan Thornton for a while and potentially Rashee Rice for a shorter time. But with the magic he is able to work, he should be able to keep the Chiefs afloat regardless.
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