NFL Mid-Season Awards – MVP, Rookie of the year, and more.

With most teams having played eight of their total sixteen regular season games, it’s time to give out our mid-season NFL awards.

Well, we blinked, and we’re already half-way through the NFL regular season. So, let’s prematurely give out the end-of-season awards so in two months’ time we can reminisce about how wrong we were.

MVP

1. Patrick Mahomes QB

2. Todd Gurley RB
3. Phillip Rivers QB
4. Drew Brees QB
5. Kirk Cousins QB

If the MVP was decided tomorrow, the only players to receive votes would be Mahomes and Gurley. The drop-off from those two standouts is steep. Both Mahomes and Gurley are on pace to have ridiculous statistical seasons. But the young QB edges out Gurley for the moment. We’ll see if he can hold his poise down the stretch. Kirk Cousins may come as a surprise to many, but until the emergence of Latavius Murray, he was carrying the Vikings offence. Cousins and Philip Rivers have gone unnoticed by many this year, but they are both playing efficient football and winning games. Drew Brees has been wildly efficient but hasn’t been asked to do as much as usual.

Offensive Player of the Year

1. Todd Gurley RB

2. Adam Thielen WR
3. Michael Thomas WR
4. Saquon Barkley RB
5. Alvin Kamara RB

To make this interesting I’ve left quarterbacks off this list. All of the players on this list have been superb. Thielen is unlucky to not be number 1, but if he breaks the records he is on pace to break, he could leapfrog Gurley. Michael Thomas is establishing himself as the best WR in the game, with a league-leading (amongst WR’s) pass catch rate of 90%. Kamara and Barkley continue the trend of young running-backs producing on the ground and through the air. But it’s still Gurley who reigns supreme. He is on pace to have more total TDs by a running back since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006.

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Aaron Donald DT

2. Khalil Mack OLB
3. JJ Watt DE
4. Von Miller OLB
5. Darius Leonard LB

This is where the rules of this awards system gets tricky. Donald wins because if the season ended today he would get the award. He is one of the most devastating forces in the league, with 10 sacks already. Before Mack got hurt this season, he was the DPOY. So, if Mack gets past this ankle injury and start playing like he did through his first four games, he would be the likely DPOY come season’s end. The top four on this list are the usual customers. JJ Watt is also close to Donald and Mack, playing with a vengeance over the last month.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

1. Saquon Barkley RB

2. Calvin Ridley WR
3. Phillip Lindsay RB
4. Kerryon Johnson RB
5. Baker Mayfield QB

The rookie QB play has been disappointing in 2018. All of the top QBs in the draft are starting now and all have been up-and-down. Mayfield just makes the list (and Sam Darnold narrowly misses out) because they’ve been the most solid, but both have made too many rookie-type mistakes to be leading the race. Barkley has been the best player on this list by-far, but his team is struggling. If you take into account rushing AND receiving for running backs, Barkley might be the best in the league. Ridley has been a nice WR2 for Matt Ryan and the Falcons. His ability to score touchdowns puts him high on this list. Lindsay has been the surprise rookie of the year, breathing life into a mediocre Broncos offense.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

1. Darius Leonard LB

2. Derwin James S
3. Denzel Ward CB
4. Bradley Chubb OLB
5. Jaire Alexander CB

Darius Leonard has been a surprise to many, but he’s leading the league in tackles and competing in every other category among line-backers. It’s the defensive side of the ball where this year’s rookie class is strong. Derwin James has taken command of the Chargers defence. Denzel Ward and Bradley Chubb probably benefit from the ability of their teammates but are still promising players in their own right. Ward could very well become the league’s best CB one day.

Comeback Player of the Year

1. Andrew Luck

2. JJ Watt
3. Adrian Peterson
4. Deshaun Watson
5. Aaron Rodgers

At this stage of the season, Luck’s numbers are too outstanding to ignore for this award. Also considering the career-threatening nature of the injury, his return to form has been even more impressive. You could argue that Luck is actually having his best season ever, certainly his most efficient. The emergence of Peterson has been the biggest surprise, leading the Redskins offense on many occasions. Watson got off to a slow start but has been great for the Texans on this five-game winning-streak.

Coach of the Year

1. Andy Reid – KC Chiefs
2. Sean McVay – LA Rams
3. Bill Belichick – NE Patriots
4. Sean Payton – NO Saints
5. Pete Carroll – SE Seahawks

Similar to the MVP race, the top two are nearly inseparable. McVay is deserving of the award. Being 8-0 is a testament to good coaching no matter the talent on the field. Reid’s inability to win playoff games with the Chiefs is well-publicised, but something feels different this year. Mahomes’ success is, at least in part, a product of Reid’s offensive genius. This is a real toss-up – the edge goes to Reid.