Jordan Love entered the MVP race in spectacular fashion last weekend, but will the Packers quarterback leapfrog the top contenders and actually win the award? 

In the bigger NFL picture, are the 49ers the league's best team? Do the Cowboys have reason to believe they can make a playoff push? 

I tackle those topics and more in the latest edition of "NFL Fact or Fiction," where I hand out verdicts on fan takes sent to our @NFLonFOX Instagram each week. 

Let’s dive in:  

Fact or Fiction: Fiction

Sorry, I’m not jumping on the Love bandwagon!

The Green Bay QB basically jumped from the fringes of the MVP race onto the shortlist of top contenders after what he did to the Patriots on Sunday. But there’s still a gap that exists between Love and those at the top of the list: Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Brock Purdy. And I don’t see that shrinking over the second half of the season. 

That doesn’t take away what Love did in Foxborough! Against New England, he completed 23 of 29 pass attempts for 372 yards and four total touchdowns (three passing). He was elite pushing the ball downfield. He relentlessly attacked Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who had the worst game of his career. 

Entering Week 10, Love is the only quarterback this season with two games with six deep completions (20-plus air yards), according to Next Gen Stats. He’s the first quarterback with multiple passing touchdowns in eight of his team’s first nine games in a season since Burrow in 2021, per NFL research. Love leads the league in passing yards (2,618) and ranks third in passing touchdowns (19). 

So yes, he should be right in the MVP race. 

But the Packers face top-five pass defenses in their next two games in the Vikings (second) and Rams (fifth). Then in Week 14, they face a Bills defense that just added NFL interception co-leader Amani Hooker. In Week 15, the Packers face the Dolphins and their 12th-ranked pass defense. In Week 16, they face a Bears defense that recently added All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. 

I’m not saying that Love can’t find success against those defenses, but he’ll have to do so with a run game that isn't taking pressure off him. Yes, the Packers are coming off their first game with 100-plus rushing yards, but Josh Jacobs (thumb) could be out several weeks, another big setback for Green Bay’s backfield. 

So I see Love’s passing volume continuing, but his effectiveness could wane in the long haul, which would make it difficult to keep up with the other top MVP candidates. 

Fact or Fiction: Fiction

I’m not buying it! The Cowboys are coming off a win, but it was over a reeling Indianapolis Colts team that has lost five straight games, and Dak Prescott & Co. needed a game-winning drive to do it. 

The week before that, the Cowboys lost at home to a 3-6 Arizona Cardinals team in overtime. And in Week 7, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles …. who’ve lost seven straight and are looking to the future (trading starting DT Jordan Davis at the deadline for first- and second-round picks). 

So Dallas’ 2-1 record over its past three games isn’t impressing anyone. 

In fact, the Cowboys (4-5) still haven’t beaten a team with a winning record. They haven’t won back-to-back games this season. Their defense continues to be maddeningly inconsistent. They’re dealing with a slew of key injuries. Receiver George Pickens, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown all missed the Week 9 game. Tight end Jake Ferguson and running back Tyler Goodson will be out multiple weeks. Receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin has missed the past three games. 

Plus, the Cowboys’ last eight games this season are against teams either leading their division or ahead of them in the standings: the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants.

There’s too much working against the Cowboys to have faith that they can make a playoff push. 

Fact or Fiction: Fact

The Jaguars are currently the No. 3 seed in the AFC, but they are the conference’s most complete team. And I don’t think there’s much of a debate there. 

They simply overwhelm teams. They’ve won four games by 20-plus points this year, including back-to-back entering Week 10. They’ve held their opponent to 10 or fewer points four times. They rank in the top five in the league in scoring offense and defense. They’re first in turnover differential and third in takeaways. They’re well-coached on both sides of the ball. 

And while he hasn’t gotten the same attention as some of his peers, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence belongs in the MVP conversation, with 18 passing touchdowns against just four interceptions in 2026. Over the past five seasons, just one quarterback has thrown for more touchdowns with fewer than five picks through eight games than Lawrence, according to NFL research. 

Of course, I can’t forget to mention how the Jaguars were more active than any other contender ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline, acquiring former All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III and defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux to bolster an already strong defense. They gave up a first-round pick and two second-rounders as part of the trio of deals, which tells you how the Jags view themselves. They’re all-in on reaching the Super Bowl, and they have enough (on paper) to do that. 

Having a near perfect roster doesn’t guarantee anything — just look at what’s happened with the Rams so far this season, for example — and the Jags have formidable foes to get through in the AFC, including the Bills, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. But Jacksonville could win the Super Bowl. No one would be surprised if the Jags did. 

Fact or Fiction: Fact

After the Bears’ uninspiring victory over the Buccaneers last week — committing five turnovers and needing a walk-off field goal to beat a 3-6 Tampa team — it certainly feels like the Niners are back on top of the mountain in the NFL. 

The Bills are the No. 1 seed in the AFC right now, but they have lingering questions on defense, even after trading for Hooker on Tuesday. It’s difficult to trust the Broncos because of their offense. And I’d give San Francisco a slight edge over Jacksonville as the league’s most complete team. The Niners rank in the top six offensively and defensively in points and yardage. The Jaguars are top four in scoring offense and defense, but are 13th in total offense and 10th in yards allowed. 

We all know the star power the Niners have with Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner and many others. But I think what makes them so lethal is that many of their young guys are starting to play at a high level, too. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, fifth-round rookie linebacker Jaden Dugger had a pick-six, third-round rookie running back Kaelon Black had a team-high 70 rushing yards, second-year receiver Jordan Watkins had a team-high 86 receiving yards and second-year defensive back Upton Stout had a forced fumble at the goal line. 

Running back Kaelon Black, a third-round pick out of Indiana, had his best game as a pro in Week 9 against the Raiders, rushing for 70 yards on 6.4 yards per attempt. (Photo by Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Injury issues persist for the Niners, as they have over the past several years. But they’ve always seemed to play at a high level in spite of that. So to have major contributions from the younger players on the team, it’s hard to poke holes in San Francisco right now.