MVP: Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
I firmly believed Russell Wilson was a lock for this honor all season long, but it's hard to argue that he's still the frontrunner a day after logging his 2nd 3+ turnover game in the last 3 weeks. Mahomes, on the other hand, has played steady (2+ TD's in 8 of 9 games), nearly mistake-free football (1 INT and 1 FUM Lost in 9 games) that has the Chiefs' prospects of repeating as Super Bowl Champions looking very strong at the moment.
Honorable Mentions: Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), Aaron Donald (Rams)
Top Offensive Player: Alvin Kamara (Saints)
The Saints offense has been a revolving door thus far with everyone from Michael Thomas to Emmanuel Sanders to Jared Cook missing varying degrees of time. Kamara has not only taken advantage of that lack of stability and depth in the supporting cast, he's thriving even more than usual because of it-registering 1,046 scrimmage YDS and 8 TD's on 156 touches, and bringing much-needed explosive playmaking to an otherwise merely methodical group.
Honorable Mentions: Dalvin Cook (Vikings), Derrick Henry (Titans) , Davante Adams (Packers)
Top Defensive Player: Aaron Donald (Rams)
Huge surprise right? Donald continues to solidify his standing as one of, if not the single most dominant defensive lineman in NFL history by shrugging off the extra attention he receives from opposing offenses and blowing up games in spectacular fashion (9 sacks, 7 TFL's, 15 QB hits, 22 QB pressures, 3 forced fumbles) week in and week out.
Honorable Mentions: T.J. Watt (Steelers), Jaire Alexander (Packers), Khalil Mack (Bears)
Top Offensive Rookie: Joe Burrow (Bengals)
Their win/loss record may not reflect it just yet, but Burrow has already made a huge impact on the Bengals. The reigning #1 overall pick has overcome horrible offensive line play and an inconsistent running game to get off to a historically strong start for a rookie signalcaller (2,272 YDS including 5 300+ YD games, 67.0% CMP, 14 total TD's) that has allowed this largely talent-deprived team to be competitive in nearly every game.
Honorable Mentions: Justin Herbert (Chargers), Justin Jefferson (Vikings), James Robinson (Jaguars)
Top Defensive Rookie: Chase Young (Washington Football Team)
Don't let the relatively low sack total (3.5) fool you, Young has been every bit of the force off the edge he was expected to be in the earlygoing. In just 6 healthy games, he's been a frequent flyer around the line of scrimmage picking up 7 pressures, 5 TFL's, 4 QB hits and 20 tackles and is already beginning to pick up the type of attention from opponents that's typically reserved for feared veterans.
Honorable Mentions: Antoine Winfield Jr. (Buccaneers), Jaylon Johnson (Bears), Jeremy Chinn (Panthers)
Top Comeback Player: Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
Nobody knew how 38-year old Roethlisberger was going to look coming off a devastating elbow injury , but I doubt even serial optimists expected a start this strong. His newfound limitations as a deep passer have actually reformed him into a more accurate/less mistake prone QB (68.1 CMP%, 4 INT's) without completely stifling his tendency to put up huge numbers (1,934 YDS, 18 TD's in 8 games), which is a big reason why the Steelers have been on the right side of so many shootouts this season.
Honorable Mentions: Jason Verrett (49ers), Aldon Smith (Cowboys), Akiem Hicks (Bears)
Top Coach: Brian Flores (Dolphins)
Last year's 5-4 finish following a horrendous 0-7 start wasn't a fluke. Flores has instilled a level of toughness and resilience in his team that allows them to win in a variety of ways and that rare heart/discipline combination has them right in the thick of the playoff picture with the toughest part of their schedule already out of the way.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Kliff Kingsbury (Cardinals), Sean McVay (Rams)
Updated Playoff Predictions
AFC:
1.Chiefs
2.Steelers
3.Titans
4.Bills
5.Ravens
6.Colts
7.Dolphins
Wild Card:
Steelers over Dolphins
Titans over Colts
Ravens over Bills
Divisional Round:
Chiefs over Ravens
Steelers over Titans
Conference Championship:
Chiefs over Steelers
NFC:
1.Seahawks
2.Saints
3.Packers
4.Eagles
5.Cardinals
6.Buccaneers
7.Rams
Wild Card:
Rams over Saints
Packers over Buccaneers
Cardinals over Eagles
Divisional Round:
Seahawks over Rams
Packers over Cardinals
Conference Championship:
Seahawks over Packers
Super Bowl:
Chiefs over Seahawks
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