NFL Week 5 QB Power Rankings: Jared Goff, Patrick Mahomes top MVP list at quarter point

One quarter of the way through the season, let's rank the quarterbacks by their likelihood of winning the 2018 NFL MVP award

After ruining the start to Ryan Tannehill's season with a patented QB ranking jinx, who should we target next? Just kidding -- jinxing anyone feels terrible, and I'm not willing to disparage Patrick Mahomes. Or Jared Goff. Both of those guys, in fact, lead my list of MVP candidates one quarter of the way through the season. 

So in the spirit of looking at who might be the MVP at this arbitrary marker for 2018, let's rank every single quarterback based on where they would slot into the MVP race, assuming only quarterbacks are eligible (which is not that far off from reality). This can work as a breakdown of where everyone stands going into Week 5, but it's mostly a checkpoint for four games into the year on who has been the most valuable. 

Yell at me on Twitter @WillBrinson with your complaints, questions and (unlikely) compliments and make sure to check out my daily NFL podcast, the Pick Six Podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes here. 

To the rankings:

First Quarter QB MVP Rankings

1	Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs QB
He won big against bad defenses and he won late against a good defense and he went 3-0 on the road for the league's best offense.
2	Jared Goff Los Angeles Rams QB
Lots of pieces around him with Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, but Goff is DEALING. His game against Minnesota -- a very good defense -- in Week 4 was one of the most impressive quarterback outings you'll ever see.
3	Drew Brees New Orleans Saints QB
With Mark Ingram gone for the first quarter of the season and the Saints defense deciding to regress to "every season not named 2017."
4	Philip Rivers Los Angeles Chargers QB
He's getting a lot of help from Melvin Gordon, but Melvin Gordon is getting a lot of help from Philip Rivers. He is having a fantastic season.
5	Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers QB
Color me concerned about the health of his leg at this point, although Washington's defense is good.
6	Tom Brady New England Patriots QB
The Patriots haven't been great yet, but a Thursday night showdown against the Colts with Julian Edelman returning could do nice things for this team.
7	Cam Newton Carolina Panthers QB
Little bit tougher to rank him because the Panthers have only played three games, but Newton is having his most efficient season yet.
8	Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons QB
A few bad throws against the Eagles in the red zone are the only real wart on Ryan's resume this season.
9	Joe Flacco Baltimore Ravens QB
Lots of good things happening with the Ravens, but it's undeniable how much better Flacco is playing this year.
10	Andrew Luck Indianapolis Colts QB
Starting to look like pre-injury Andrew Luck and he has made the Colts competitive in every single game they've played.
11	Matthew Stafford Detroit Lions QB
It's not like this defense has been playing well (outside the Patriots game). Stafford has been let down by his receivers plenty this season too.
12	Alex Smith Washington Redskins QB
Without Smith playing well, the Redskins might be the most rudderless team in the NFL after letting Kirk Cousins walk.
13	Marcus Mariota Tennessee Titans QB
Leaning HEAVILY on the last game against the Eagles here, but Mariota has been hurt and is still willing the Titans to victories. The defense certainly helps but he might be about to break out.
14	Russell Wilson Seattle Seahawks QB
The Seahawks might be a bottom-five team if you take Russell Wilson off the roster. He's not playing out of his mind, but this is a bad squad right now.
15	Deshaun Watson Houston Texans QB
The Texans haven't been good or anything, but Watson is playing pretty well behind a horrible offensive line coming off an ACL injury.
16	Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh Steelers QB
There's only so much he can do without Le'Veon Bell and a defense, but Roethlisberger hasn't looked like he's prepared to lead this team to glory just yet.
17	Andy Dalton Cincinnati Bengals QB
Heck of a start to the season for Dalton, who is finding his previous form and starting to look sharp again.
18	Kirk Cousins Minnesota Vikings QB
Cousins has made some really nice throws and big plays this season, but the Vikings aren't winning games, which is a bit of a red flag considering the defense and the receivers. They won last season ...
19	Blake Bortles Jacksonville Jaguars QB
He has been bad when the Jags have lost but he has been really good while the Jags are winning.
20	Ryan Tannehill Miami Dolphins QB
Despite the disaster that was the loss to the Patriots, Tannehill has been very good this season. I expect a bounce-back in Week 5.
21	Ryan Fitzpatrick Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
I mean, maybe he should be higher? This is a weird one. He was benched mid-game and he's not starting anymore. But the Bucs don't have two wins without FitzMagic. RIP.
22	Carson Wentz Philadelphia Eagles QB
Showed signs of his MVP form in Week 4, but he has only played two weeks of the season.
23	Mitchell Trubisky Chicago Bears QB
Khalil Mack gets the nod if anyone from the Bears is MVP but Trubisky had one amazing game. Might be a breakout coming?
24	Derek Carr Oakland Raiders QB
He has kept the Raiders in a couple of games and he has also blasted them right out of others.
25	Case Keenum Denver Broncos QB
One missed throw to Demaryius Thomas is going to linger for a while. The Broncos remain a perplexing team.
26	Dak Prescott Dallas Cowboys QB
He has no weapons and the offensive line isn't playing well. He's forced to throw to Ezekiel Elliott all the time.
27	Baker Mayfield Cleveland Browns QB
Maybe Mayfield is too low based on just beating the Jets on Thursday night in Week 3.
28	Sam Darnold New York Jets QB
Maybe Darnold is too low based on just beating the Lions on Monday night in Week 1.
29	Josh Allen Buffalo Bills QB
Maybe Allen is too low based on just beating the Vikings on the road in Week 3.
30	Josh Rosen Arizona Cardinals QB
Promising start against the Seahawks in Week 3. Think Rosen could start to play pretty well soon.
31	C.J. Beathard San Francisco 49ers QB
It's just hard to rank Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard here so they can just be low. Nice effort last week though.
32	Eli Manning New York Giants QB
This feels excessive, but I'm not entirely sure it's wrong.