Peter King Has Derrick Henry No. 1 in 2024 NFL MVP Rankings amid Ravens' 3-2 Start

If the NFL gave out the MVP award after five games, legendary former NFL reporter Peter King would have Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry at the top of his ballot.

King made the case for Henry as the MVP during an appearance on the Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray.

There's no doubt that Henry has been instrumental in Baltimore's three-game winning streak after an 0-2 start. He has racked up 479 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns on 69 touches.

Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards (572), rushing touchdowns (six), yards from scrimmage (621) and total touchdowns (seven).

History is working against King's belief that Henry can win MVP. The last non-quarterback to win the award was Adrian Peterson in 2012 when he ran for 2,097 yards to lead the Minnesota Vikings into the playoffs as a wild card team.

If there is going to be a year when the run of quarterback MVP winners stops, it could end up being 2024. The Kansas City Chiefs are one of only two undefeated teams, but Patrick Mahomes has as many interceptions as touchdowns (six).

Joe Burrow is playing arguably the best football of his career with a 72.3 completion percentage, 12 touchdowns and 1,370 yards, but it's for a Cincinnati Bengals team that has lost four of their first five games.

Josh Allen looked like this was going to be his MVP year after the first three games, but he is 25-of-59 for 311 yards with one touchdown in back-to-back losses for the Buffalo Bills. One of those losses was against the Ravens when Henry ran for 199 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Even though Lamar Jackson is having another outstanding season, there could be some backlash from a narrative perspective about giving him a third MVP award before he has played in a Super Bowl and just the effects of voter fatigue.

While you can argue the merits of handing out single-season awards based on narratives and voters wanting to award other players, it's absolutely something that happens in sports.

There could be a contingent of voters who give credit to Henry for unlocking the Ravens' offense if they continue to play at this level.

It's still very early and many things will change over the final 13 weeks, so take any MVP voting analysis at this point with a huge grain of salt.