As we barely reach mid-season in the NFL, the editorial staff of We Sport has decided to take stock with you on the potential winners of the various trophies if the season were to end tomorrow. Between official awards and editorial prizes, presentation of the choices of our editors.
MVP: Finally the year of Russell Wilson?
Louis : This time might be the right one for Russell Wilson. At the head of the best team in the National Conference, the Seahawks quarterback shines his attack. Like every season for several years now, it is difficult to find a player to whom the term valuable sticks better to the skin, and his impact on a winning team seems to promise a trophy that reaches out to him. Unless like last year, he only ends up as a mid-season MVP in our editorial staff …
Romain : This time the title of MVP should not escape him! With 26 touchdowns already in just 7 games, he is even within the lap times of Peyton Manning’s historic record (55 touchdowns). Collectively his team also has a great record of (6-1) despite an average defense. Unless Wilson and the Seahawks fall apart, the MVP title will be his.
Offensive Player of the Year: A Savior in Minnesota
Louis : If the Vikings are having a complicated first half of the season, they can’t blame their running back. Stunning since the start of the season, Dalvin Cook is in the oven and in the mill, carrying the attack on his shoulders alone. Symbol of this impact his four touchdowns against Green Bay, where he scored all the points of his franchise.
Romain: 11 touchdowns in barely six games, a stat that is enough to sum up Dalvin Cook’s season. He also exceeded 100 yards in three of his games including a point at 181 yards against the Titans! When he’s not injured, he’s one of the league’s most decisive players!
Defensive player of the year: In red and black
Louis : At the center of the defense of the Buccaneers, Devin White is already a reference. Just a sophomore, he holds a key position in one of the country’s most impressive defenses. Like Stephon Gilmore with the Patriots last year, recognizing him would recognize the strike force of an entire squad.
Romain: It’s only his second season but Devin White already has everything great! A big tackle activity and already five sacks. If his rookie season has been good, his second season is simply excellent. Tampa Bay is one of the best defenses this season and the ex-LSU linebacker is not for nothing!
Offensive Rookie of the Year: The Extremes of the First Round
Louis : He was eagerly awaited from his NFL debut, and the least we can say is that Joe Burrow responded. While Cincinnati won’t be a truly competitive franchise, it now knows it can count on the final Heisman Trophy for years to come.
Romain: Obviously, the Chiefs’ game is more about the air attack and Clyde Edwards-Helaire therefore does not have the opportunity to speak in every game. But every time we called on him, he responded. He has already traveled 572 yards including two games over 130 yards! By comparison, no Kansas City runner went over 500 yards last season.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: The Queen Became King
Louis : Falling into the fold of the Ravens on the evening of the Draft, Patrick Queen has already proven that Baltimore was right to select him. In one of the best defenses in the league, he quickly succeeded in making his place and is now establishing himself as a potential holder. Special mention to safety Antoine Winfield Jr who impresses in the backfield of Tampa Bay.
Romain: The Ravens have a knack for finding exceptional defenders and once again they’ve had a hollow nose. In a few games, Patrick Queen has made a place for himself in the excellent defense of Baltimore and he is not ready to come out of it. In addition to his work as a linebacker, we have seen him put pressure on the quarterback several times. Everything we love about Baltimore!
Coach of the year: Palm trees or steel
Louis : If Miami has a convincing first half of the season, it is in large part thanks to the work of Brian Flores. Arrived last year in Florida, the former defensive coordinator of the Patriots put his paw on the defense, and it shows quite clearly. The franchise has surely found a future great coach who has established his philosophy in a franchise that will be one to watch in the seasons to come.
Romain: Deprived of many players last season, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers still managed to have a decent season thanks to good defense. It is this defense that is still the key to success this year. But this time, the team is at the top of the NFL, and even the only team still unbeaten this season!
Surprise team: AFC high circles
Louis : On the streets offensively last year, the Steelers are today the only franchise still unbeaten in the NFL. Still, many had buried Mike Tomlin’s cast before the start of the season. It is clear that they were wrong, because Pittsburgh is more than ever left to play the playoffs and why not titillate the Chiefs for the first place in the American Conference.
Romain: The Bills have had an exceptional start to the season. Gone is the physical team whose main strength was defense, we saw an attractive and offensive team led by a brilliant Josh Allen! Since then Buffalo has fallen back a bit with two defeats but it’s still off to a good start to win the AFC East division, a first since 1995!
Disappointing team: More dashing Cowboys
Louis : As the 2020 season dawns, you’d expect the Cowboys to be serious contenders in the NFC. However, it is clear that Dallas is far from what we hoped. The defense is ghostly, the ground game almost nonexistent and Mike McCarthy already seems to be losing his locker room. Add to that the injury of Dak Prescott and you have a team unable to fight in an NFC East at a very low level.
Romain: Of course Dak Prescott is injured for the rest of the season, but the problems started long before that. Zeke Elliott is no more than a shadow of himself and the defense, however reputed to be solid, is taking water from all sides! If Dak Prescott had managed to save (a little) the furniture, his injury removes all hope of the playoffs … The big cleaning should not be long in Texas.
Disappointing player: Carson Wentz
Louis : To continue with the disappointments in NFC East, let’s head to Philadelphia where Carson Wentz has had a very disappointing start to the season. Guilty of a staggering number of loss of ball, the quarterback of the Eagles is far from the level he posted after his Draft. The Pennsylvania franchise is certainly first in its division, but it is not really thanks to the performance of its quarterback …
Romain: If the Eagles are at the top of their division (with a mediocre record of 3-4-1), they owe it more to the weakness of their division than to the prowess of their quarterback. Author of 12 interceptions and 4 fumbles, he is the quarterback who loses the most balls! Often injured, he had a full season last year and everyone expected to see a great Carson Wentz in 2020. This is not the case for the moment …
MIP : Baby Bron from Seattle
Louis : Dubbed by LeBron James on social networks, DK Metcalf is currently undergoing radical change. Already impressive last year, he is gradually establishing himself as one of the best receivers in the league as his connection with Russell Wilson hurts the defenses they encounter. Physical phenomenon almost forgotten during the 2019 Draft, some franchises must bite their fingers for not having selected it.
Romain: Freak is coming! He’s big, powerful, and extremely fast. His agreement with Wilson is very good and he therefore has impressive stats for a second year receiver (680 yards and 7 touchdowns). We are obviously obliged to remember that he is only the ninth receiver to have been called up in the 2019 Draft. What left many franchises with regret!
Steal de la Draft : Claypool, the Iron Man
Louis : In a class of receivers as dense as that of 2020, it was a safe bet that a receiver chosen lower than the others would explode. Chosen in 49e position (2e tour), Chase Claypool once smashed the screen in Pittsburgh. The Canadian was notably the author of a 100+ yds and 3 TD game against the Eagles and gradually established himself as one of Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite targets.
Romain: Like DK Metcalf, Chase Claypool is far from the first receiver to have been selected in the last draft! However, he is already starting in the attack of the only undefeated team. Not bad for the eleventh receiver in this draft. He is also the most efficient rookie with already 7 touchdowns including four in one match, a very rare feat for a beginner.
Signature of Summer: Tom Brady is Eternal
Louis : Leaving New England has apparently not been a problem for Tom Brady. Far from being in the prime of life, the six-ring quarterback has managed to make Tampa Bay a formidable team. Surrounded by a five-star cast, Brady is more than ever the key to success for the Bucs, which barring cataclysm should play in the playoffs this season and, why not, become the first franchise in history to play the Super Bowl at home .
Romain: Difficult to make another choice. Tom Brady is surely the best player in the history of this game but at 43, we still had some doubts about his success on the side of Tampa Bay. However, except cataclysm, it will put an end to thirteen years of famine for the Buccaneers who should finally find the playoffs. Always very clean (20 touchdowns for 4 interceptions) he proves (to those who doubted it) that when he is quarterback of a team, it becomes a candidate for the title.
The season is still long and a lot can change but some players or teams should be in this ranking again at the end of the season. For the best or for the worst…
With the participation of Romain Lanneluc
