The 2026 NFL season has reached its halfway point, and the award races are starting to take shape. Joe Burrow has put together the best quarterback numbers in the league, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on pace for a historic receiving season, Will Anderson Jr. leads the NFL in sacks, and John Harbaugh has turned a four-win Giants team into a division leader.
Below are FieldPylon’s midseason picks for every major award, with the case for each winner, the strongest challengers and what could change over the final eight or nine games. We leaned on the numbers from Sports Illustrated’s midseason awards and ESPN’s midseason award rankings, but the picks are our own.
FieldPylon’s midseason award picks at a glance
| Award | Our pick | Top challenger |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals | Brock Purdy, QB, 49ers |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks | Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Will Anderson Jr., Edge, Texans | Fred Warner, LB, 49ers |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Denzel Boston, WR, Browns | Fernando Mendoza, QB, Raiders |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Arvell Reese, LB, Giants | David Bailey, Edge, Jets |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs | Fred Warner, LB, 49ers |
| Coach of the Year | John Harbaugh, Giants | Ben Johnson, Bears |
MVP: Joe Burrow, Bengals
Burrow has the strongest all-around case. Through eight games he has completed 74% of his passes for 2,386 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. He leads the league in completion percentage and touchdown passes and ranks second in passing yards, SI noted. He has also produced 18 total touchdowns over his past four games, and the Bengals are 6-2.
The advanced numbers agree. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell ranked Burrow first, pointing to a 63.5% precise pass rate, well ahead of Caleb Williams in second at 58.5%, along with 8.1 yards per attempt and a low 4.8% sack rate. We covered how Burrow caught Josh Allen in the betting market in our MVP odds story.
The challengers:
- Brock Purdy, 49ers. Purdy leads the NFL in QBR and EPA per dropback, has the league’s lowest sack rate at 3.3%, and quarterbacks the NFC’s best team at 7-1, per ESPN.
- Jordan Love, Packers. SI’s Mike Kadlick picked Love, who leads the NFL with 2,618 passing yards after a four-touchdown day against New England. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, as we covered in our Love story.
- Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars. Lawrence leads the league at 8.6 yards per attempt and has not had a multi-turnover game, ESPN noted, for a 6-2 Jacksonville team.
What could change it: Burrow’s next game is the biggest one of the week. Sunday night’s showdown with Pittsburgh decides first place in the AFC North, as covered in our Steelers vs. Bengals preview. MVP voters remember prime-time games, and a big night against Aaron Rodgers would strengthen Burrow’s lead.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks
Smith-Njigba leads all receivers with 1,036 yards and nine touchdowns and is on pace for 1,956 yards, SI noted. ESPN ranked him first as well, citing 115.1 receiving yards per game, 13 more than the next player, and 3.7 yards per route run. He accounts for just under half of Seattle’s receiving yards.
That last number explains why he is our pick. Seattle has dealt with quarterback injuries, as we covered in our Seahawks QB story, and Smith-Njigba has kept producing anyway. His worst game of the season was 51 yards.
The challengers: Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs leads the NFL with 1,132 all-purpose yards and 105.9 rushing yards per game and is tied for the league lead with 11 total touchdowns, per SI. Kenneth Walker III, now in Kansas City, is tied with Gibbs at 11 touchdowns and ranked second on ESPN’s list. Gibbs is the one to watch. If the Lions keep winning and he keeps scoring, voters may favor the running back on the better team.
Defensive Player of the Year: Will Anderson Jr., Texans
Anderson leads the NFL with 9.5 sacks in eight games, and both SI and ESPN picked him. He is second in the league with 44 pressures and posts a 17.6% pressure rate, SI noted, and ESPN credited him with a league-high 11 sacks created for himself or teammates. His production has helped Houston allow 19.3 points per game over the past four weeks, during which the Texans won three of four.
The challengers: 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has 77 tackles and five forced fumbles, tied for the league lead, and he anchors one of the league’s most improved defenses. Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson leads all defenders with 46 pressures, per ESPN. The Texans are 3-5, which is the one thing that could hurt Anderson if a defender on a winning team closes the gap. Anderson’s next test is Sunday at Cleveland against Deshaun Watson, as previewed in our Browns QB story.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Denzel Boston, Browns
The OROY race is wide open, and we broke it down in detail in our Rookie of the Year race analysis. Boston gets our midseason vote because his production leads the class: a rookie-high 507 receiving yards and three catches of 50-plus yards, tied for the league high, per ESPN.
The wild card is Fernando Mendoza, who makes his first start for the Raiders on Sunday and is now the betting favorite. Carnell Tate of the Titans, SI’s pick, has 34 catches for 413 yards. ESPN’s Barnwell went in a different direction entirely, picking undrafted Chiefs left tackle Kahlil Benson, who has allowed two sacks in eight starts.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Arvell Reese, Giants
Reese is the more complete player, with 4.5 sacks, 14 pressures and an 81.3 passer rating allowed in coverage, per ESPN. Jets edge rusher David Bailey has the louder numbers, with 7.5 sacks and five forced fumbles, and SI’s Kadlick picked him. This race could flip, but Reese’s every-down impact on a winning team gives him the edge for now.
Comeback Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL in Week 15 last season and was back for Week 1 of 2026, SI noted. He has the Chiefs at 6-2 with a 101.8 passer rating, his best since 2022, and ESPN ranked him first as well, citing 7.7 yards per attempt.
He also survived a scare this month. His throwing elbow was hit in the Jets game, but the MRI showed no major damage and he practiced fully Wednesday, as we reported in our Mahomes elbow story. Fred Warner, back from a broken ankle that cost him most of 2025, and 49ers tight end George Kittle are the other strong candidates.
Coach of the Year: John Harbaugh, Giants
This is the most crowded race, and it is the one where we split from ESPN. Our pick is Harbaugh. The Giants won four games in 2025. This year they are 5-2-1 and lead the NFC East despite losing Jaxson Dart and Brian Burns and starting three different quarterbacks, including J.J. McCarthy, SI’s Eva Geitheim noted. That combination of a bad starting point, injuries and results is usually what wins this award. The Giants’ rise is a big part of our NFC playoff picture.
The challengers:
- Ben Johnson, Bears. Chicago is 7-2 on a four-game win streak, with the third-ranked offense in yards per game. The Bears also won with backups Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent, per SI.
- Kyle Shanahan, 49ers. ESPN’s top pick, credited with keeping the offense rolling through injuries for a 7-1 team.
- Liam Coen, Jaguars. Jacksonville ranks in the top five in both scoring offense and scoring defense, per ESPN, and sits third in the AFC.
Harbaugh’s team plays tonight against Washington on Thursday Night Football. Our Commanders vs. Giants preview has the details.
One more: the protectors
The Protector of the Year award recognizes offensive linemen. ESPN ranked 49ers left tackle Trent Williams first; he has allowed only three quick pressures through eight games at 38. SI’s Kadlick picked Detroit’s Penei Sewell, who ranks in the top five in run block win rate. Cincinnati’s Amarius Mims, who has allowed 11 pressures on 319 dropbacks while left one-on-one more than any other tackle, deserves a mention too.
What could shake up the races
- Week 10 headliners. Burrow vs. Rodgers on Sunday night, Mendoza’s debut and Anderson against Cleveland all land this week. Our list of Week 10 games ranked by playoff stakes covers each one.
- Injuries. Mahomes’ elbow, Seattle’s quarterback situation and Bailey’s groin are all worth watching.
- Team records. Voters lean toward winners. Anderson’s Texans (3-5) and Bailey’s Jets (2-7) need help.
For the full midseason picture, see our 2026 NFL midseason report and the AFC playoff picture. We will revisit these picks after Week 13.
Sources: Sports Illustrated, ESPN via ABC7, Covers, ProFootballTalk
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