Cam Newton had a breakout year in 2015 and won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award in a landslide.  Who will take the crown from Newton for 2016?  We’re going to take a weekly look at how things are shaping up.

1. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Antonio Brown might not be the best football player in the NFL, but he’s certainly in the conversation and he’s the most dangerous receiver despite not standing 6-foot-6 or being able to touch 12 feet.  Brown runs perfect routes, has all the game speed that anyone can ask for and is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the football.  He dominated Monday Night Football by catching eight passes for 126 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Redskins revamped secondary.

2. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Is Jameis Winston the best quarterback in the NFL?  Not even close, but he did put forth one heck of a performance on Sunday.  Winston led the Bucs with four touchdown tosses and was close to perfect for much of the game.  He only gets this spot because expectations are still relatively low for both him and the Bucs coming off a 6-10 season.

3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers has already won one of these awards and if he continues to play like he did against Jacksonville on Sunday, he’ll have another one.  Rodgers was so much better than the numbers showed as he made a throw to Devante Adams for a touchdown with Jalen Ramsey draped all over him that was simply unbelievable.  Rodgers finished 20 of 34, for 199 yards and a pair of touchdowns and ran for another against a much improved defense on the road.  Rodgers does so many things that no other quarterback can do and he simply makes it look easy.

4. Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions

Playing the first game of his career without the legendary Calvin Johnson on the roster, Detroit Lions quarterback Matt Stafford took on more of a leadership role and was tremendous in a 39-35 road victory against the Indianapolis Colts.  Stafford completed 31 of 39 throws, for 340 yards with three touchdowns as he led the team down the field for the game-winning field goal with just seconds left.  The Lions needed their former No. 1 overall pick to step up and step up he did.

5. Von Miller, Denver Broncos

The second half performance of the Denver Broncos defense was simply amazing as they looked just as stingy as they did in Super Bowl 50.  Since Miller was named the MVP of the Super Bowl and he’s the leader of that “D,” he gets the nod over teammate DeMarcus Ware.  Miller is one of the most unblockable linebackers in football and he can single-handedly wreck any offense’s game plan.