Almost halfway through the season, and the MVP conversations are still shaking up. There’s plenty of 2025 football still left on the board, but after Week 8, Jordan Love is the new name in the fray. While the previous names keep shuffling in their standings, Patrick Mahomes remains at the forefront now. This race isn’t your typical power rankings list. It’s a group of players constantly rewriting scripts and slapping fresh energy on old narratives. The swagger jumps off the field. The pressure? Tangible. Here’s the Week 9 EssentiallySports MVP Ladder, with some names clawing for contention just outside the top 5.

5. Jordan Love: lighting the fuse for Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers have been waiting for a season like this. Their quarterback finally feels like the next book in a bestseller series featuring Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Nobody gave Jordan Love much MVP noise back in September. But the beginning of November feels different. Love’s rolling. Thirteen touchdowns, just two picks, a QBR of 73.5 tied in sixth place, and the deep threats that have brought him a 1,798-yard campaign already.

His Week 8 battle against his former mentor had everything. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Love had a rough start, but once he got in the groove, he was virtually unstoppable. 20 straight completions in a single game tied him for the franchise record Favre had set back in 2007. It’s a feat even Rodgers couldn’t achieve. With a three-game win streak and a 5-1-1 record, Love feels like the quarterback you just can’t ignore anymore.

4. Daniel Jones: another day, another win

Did anyone think we’d be having this conversation this season? No, but here we are. The Indianapolis Colts wanted to win for their late owner Jim Irsay. And Daniel Jones seems to have taken that mission to heart. He’s taking sacks, standing his ground, and making some of the most consistent plays in the league right now. The offense under Jones is fired up, pushing themselves and making conversion attempts look like a street fight. And the numbers? They speak for themselves.

A 7-1 record and a four-game win streak just seem to be the beginning at this point. But that’s what we said last week, and the week before that. After his Week 8 clash with the Tennessee Titans, his QBR (79.3) has shot up to the 2nd place in the league. Add to that a total campaign of 2,062 yards, thirteen touchdowns, and just three picks. Is Daniel Jones cooking? Well… Yes!

3. Drake Maye: the Patriots’ rebirth saga?

The New England Patriots have clung to the Tom Brady – Bill Belichick era like a security blanket. But not anymore. Drake Maye has all the swagger and energy around him to ignite a fanbase that cries ‘MVP’ from the stands. The numbers to back it up? 2,026 yards, 15 touchdowns and just three picks. His 76.3 QBR earns him fourth place in the league. But if that’s not enough to convince you, he’s already surpassed Tom Brady in one aspect.

Maye has won five straight games and leads the Pats with a 6-2 record after the win against the Cleveland Browns. Week 8 saw him post 200+ passing yards, earn a passer rating higher than 135, and throw more than two TDs in five games total so far. Brady’s 2007 MVP season with the Patriots saw him do it in just four games. Seeing Maye’s performance, Brady even admitted, “He’s learning. Every week he seems to be getting better.”

2. Josh Allen: minor fall and a major lift

Josh Allen had a rough couple of weeks and went into the bye week with the Buffalo Bills cooking a recipe for resurgence. Week 8 had Allen bring the Bills back right where they needed to be. A 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers was nothing short of dominance. Allen threw one touchdown, ran for two more, and finished with a 108.0 passer rating. Not to mention it took four defenders to sack him as Allen kept looking for an escape route.

Allen, so far, has thrown for 1,560 yards, with 12 touchdowns and 4 picks. He’s also kept the ground game alive with 261 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. But it’s much more than a numbers game. Allen improvises, shakes off mistakes, and delivers a wild ride. Drake Maye’s rise may have become a hurdle for Allen to overcome, but if Allen’s poise and energy in Week 8 are any indication, he’s earned this number 2 spot on our list with ease. Can he keep it in Week 9 as well?

1. Patrick Mahomes: the standard, again

That early-season slump? Just forget about it. Week 8 saw familiar miscues for the Kansas City Chiefs. But as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, you can never really count them out. Mahomes threw two picks but flipped the script with 299 passing yards and three touchdowns in the 28-7 dominance over the Washington Commanders. Mahomes isn’t chasing the MVP anymore. He is just dropping bombs game after game, making everyone else play catch-up.

So far, Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 2099 yards, leads the league in passing touchdowns (17), and ranks 3rd in QBR (76.3). Like Allen, he’s also kept the rush alive, going 280 yards and adding 4 four scores. If that’s the general stat line, there’s another record in Mahomes’ name now. He’s now become only the second player in history to have 40,000+ passing yards across their first 9 seasons. The other, of course, is the legendary Peyton Manning. Back in June, the Chiefs dropped a cold one-liner for Mahomes: “Year 9 won’t know what hit it.” So far, they stand corrected.

Players on the cusp of contention

Outside the top 5, all too familiar names circle around, waiting for a boost. Dak Prescott leads the league with his 79.5 QBR. But the Dallas Cowboys’ defense has become a big headache at this point. One win, one loss, and repeat; and the cycle continues with only one tie in between this season. Week 8 even saw the offense falter while the defense gave up 44 points. If something changes in the secondary, Prescott might have a real shot to climb higher.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield won 23-3 without throwing a single touchdown pass or rushing score. Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff was on bye while the others rose up. It’ll be interesting to see if he can shoot back up into the conversation in Week 9. Meanwhile, Los Angeles Rams’ Matthew Stafford, also on bye, is tied with Mahomes in first place with 17 passing touchdowns. They all seem just a few good winning drives away from shuffling up the leaderboard once again.

The margin for error is becoming paper-thin as we head deeper into the season. You see one wild Sunday, and suddenly, a dark horse gets new life. MVP battles aren’t just stat races; they’re about impact. The locker-room pulse, the sideline noise, and the way crowds respond when stars like Patrick Mahomes or Drake Maye take over. Everyone’s gunning for that next highlight, that one play that turns the momentum. Week 9 could rewrite the rankings once again. For now, we just wait for November and next week’s heroes.