We are now entering week ten of the NFL season which means every team has played at least eight games. We are the “mid-point” of the season. Who are the front runners for the NFL awards?

MVP

The Most Valuable Player award is still very much up for grabs. There are strong cases to be made for Indianapolis Colts running back, Jonathan Taylor, New England Patriots quarterback, Drake Maye, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Baker Mayfield, among others.

The real deal mid-season MVP award goes to…. Jonathan Taylor. Yes, I know that the MVP award has become the best quarterback award but this year is different because Taylor’s impact is just as big as any quarterback in the league.

The Colts are (7-2) with the top ranked offense in the NFL. They are scoring 32.2 points per game and the running game is catalyst of that success. If Taylor is able to get to 1800 rushing yards and the Colts are the top seed in the AFC, he has a real shot at winning the award.

Offensive Player of the Year

The offensive player of the year award, has become the “best offensive player that is not a quarterback award”. That would be Jonathan Taylor, so for argument’s sake, let’s say Taylor wins the MVP award. Who are the front runners then?

There are a few names that come to mind like, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Los Angeles Rams quarterback, Matthew Stafford, San Francisco 49ers running back, Christian McCaffrey, and Buffalo Bills running back, James Cook, among others.

And the award goes to…..Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN is on pace to have one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in NFL history. He has 58 receptions for 948 yards in the first eight games of the season. He has a legit shot at finishing the season with over 2,000 yards and that will pretty much guarantee him the offensive player of the year award.

Defensive Player of the Year

The defensive player of the year field is stacked right now. There are several players who are balling on that side of the field, Cleveland Browns defensive end, Myles Garrett, Houston Texans defensive end, Will Anderson Jr, New York Giants edge rusher, Brian Burns, and Detroit Lions defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson among others.

The award goes to….Myles Garrett. Garrett has 10 sacks and a league leading 15 tackles for loss through eight games. This will be a tight race but Garrett should be the front runner.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

There are a lot of impressive rookies on the offensive side of the ball this year. The list includes, New York Giants quarterback, Jaxson Dart, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver, Emeka Egbuka, Indianapolis Colts tight end, Tyler Warren, and Cleveland Browns running back, Quinshon Judkins, among others.

The award goes to….Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka has been a massive find for the Bucs. The Bucs have had lots of injuries on the offensive side of the ball and Egbuka has stepped up to make sure the offensive has not skipped too much of a beat. Egbuka has 34 receptions for 562 yards and five touchdowns through eight games.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

The nominees for defensive rookie of the year are New York Giants edge rusher, Abdul Carter, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker, Jihaad Campbell, Seattle Seahawks safety, Nick Emmanwori, Dallas Cowboys defensive end, Donovan Ezeiruaku and Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger, among others.

The award goes to….Carson Schwesinger. Schwesinger has 64 combined tackles, one sack, one interception, and one pass defended. He has been able to impact the Browns in a major way as a rookie and his future is very bright.

Comeback Player of the Year

There are so many players who have bounced back from a disappointing 2024 season to be major impact players this season like, Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Dak Prescott, San Francisco 49ers running back, Christian McCaffrey, Detroit Lions edge rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Daniel Jones, and New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, among others.

The award goes to….Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey missed most of last season with calf and Achilles issues. He seems to be the only one that can stay healthy for the 49ers this season. McCaffrey has put the offense on his back, running for 596 yards and accumulating 626 yards receiving through the first nine games.

Coach of the Year

Who has been the best coach in the NFL this season? There are several legit contenders for the award that include, Denver Broncos coach, Sean Payton, Buffalo Bills coach, Sean McDermott, Patriots coach, Mike Vrabel, and Seahawks coach, Mike Macdonald but the obvious choice for the award is Colts head coach, Shane Steichen.

The Indianapolis Colts are (7-2) and look like real contenders to come out of the AFC. This is after an off-season where they were heavily criticized for naming Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback. Jones has not only shown himself to be right choice but may be the quarterback of the future.

The Colts have the number one ranked offense and a top ten defense. They have all the looks of a Superbowl champion and no one outside of the Colts saw this coming. Steichen has to be the mid-season coach of the year because of that.

Do you agree with my award choices?