The cream of the crop has revealed itself as we enter the final stretch of the 2022 NFL regular season. From top-tier quarterbacks leading potent offenses to other skill-position players making their impacts felt, we’ve been offered weekly reminders of why we’re so obsessed with this star-studded league.

With five weeks to go, we challenged our NFL staffers to pick their Most Valuable Player. It’s not who we think the MVP will be, but who we believe the MVP should be. The award has historically been dominated by quarterbacks, and that’s a trend our staff feels will continue.

These are the players who have best positioned themselves to be in the MVP conversation at season’s end.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (102 points)

— He has the most passing yards and passing touchdowns while also having one of the NFL’s best passer ratings. He’s the biggest reason why the Chiefs are among the Super Bowl favorites for the fifth consecutive season. If all 32 teams had to completely clear their rosters for a league-wide redraft, without question, Mahomes would be the first overall pick.

— Mahomes is the LeBron James of the NFL. He’s great year in and year out, and as long as he’s protected, his ability to elevate those around him is unmatched. Even without Tyreek Hill, who’s having an All-Pro-caliber season of his own in Miami, Mahomes has once again placed the Chiefs among the upper echelon of the NFL with a league-high 30 touchdown passes against only eight interceptions.

— The yards, the touchdowns, the lack of interceptions, the throws over 20 yards and, most importantly, the consistent winning without the likes of a No. 1 receiver or running back. Mahomes is running away with the MVP award.

— We’re getting to the point where we’re numb to his weekly brilliance, and we shouldn’t be.

— He can do anything. If there’s something on a football field he can’t do, we haven’t found it yet.

— He’s still the guy defenses — and defensive coordinators — fear the most. I don’t think he’s lapping the field at this point, but he’s the favorite because he consistently delivers and consistently makes plays few others can.

— His ability to move the offense and put points on the board is almost unrivaled. No quarterback is better at hitting the big play — Mahomes leads the NFL with 54 completions of 20-plus yards (that’s 11 more than No. 2 on the list).

— Despite the loss to the Bengals, Mahomes has remained in complete control of an offense with a rotating cast of characters at wide receiver due to injury and remained atop his game. It has been a remarkable season so far.