NFL Midseason Awards
The NFL season has reached its midway point; 131 of the 256 games that will be played this season are in the books. With that, here are my selections for the NFL’s MVP, the Defensive Player of the Year, the Rookie of the Year, and the Coach of the Year.
MVP: Carson Wentz. The Eagles are currently 8-1, which is two wins better than any other team in the NFL. Philadelphia’s defense deserves praise, but the lion’s share of the credit belongs to their second-year quarterback. Carson Wentz is leading the league (by a wide margin) with 23 touchdown passes while throwing only five interceptions. The Eagles schedule ramps up significantly in the second half of the season, but if they can continue to get quality play from Wentz that won’t matter. The Birds may very well be the team to beat in the NFC and for that reason in conjunction with Wentz’s play, the former FCS quarterback deserves to be the NFL’s MVP.
Defensive Player of the Year: Calais Campbell. Rightfully so, the Jaguars defense has been given the moniker “Sacksonville” for their ability to get to the opposing quarterback. No player has done so at a higher clip this season than Campbell has, who through eight games has totaled 11 sacks. Joining the Jags this offseason as free agent, the 6’8” 300-pound defensive end has morphed the Jacksonville into the best defensive unit in all of football.
Rookie of the Year: Kareem Hunt. If Deshaun Watson was healthy I would lean his way here, but nonetheless Hunt has been spectacular this season. As of now, the rookie out of Toledo has accounted for over 1,000 total yards and six touchdowns. Forget just rookies, Kareem Hunt may be the best running back in all of football.
Coach of the Year: Sean McVay. This is not even particularly close. The job that the 31-year old first time head coach has done in Los Angeles this season has been nothing short of miraculous. Last season, the Rams ranked last in points scored; this year they’re first. To call McVay an offensive savant might be doing him a disservice. He has helped transform Jared Goff from a soon to be bust to a potent NFL quarterback. The Rams find themselves at 6-2; they haven’t finished any season with more than 7 wins since 2006. Sean McVay will almost certainly win the NFL’s Coach of the Year award this season and I can guarantee it will not be his last.
